


Mass Effect - Volume 1

by FereldenRose



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Flirting, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26033911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FereldenRose/pseuds/FereldenRose
Summary: The events of the first Mass Effect game and lots of extra content of my own. This Shepard is a male Spacer/Sole Survivor/Soldier with the default face. This story focuses on Shepard's relationship with Ashley Williams. Bioware owns everything, and as such I do not make money from this. I hope you enjoy reading this! Originally posted on Fanfiction.net
Relationships: Male Shepard/Ashley Williams
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Shipping Out

**Shipping Out**

Lieutenant Commander John Shepard strolled along the dim deserted corridor of the SSV Normandy, the Alliance's newest and most technologically advanced frigate. It was completely empty at the moment except for Captain Anderson, who was in his private quarters and a Turian named Nihlus Kryik who'd been sent to observe the upcoming mission. Shepard walked along, taking in the sleek design and enjoying the quiet hum of the ship’s powerful engine. He was anxious to see what the Normandy was capable of. They were docked on Earth at the moment, in Vancouver awaiting the arrival of the rest of the crew. 

He had been honored to snag the Executive Officer assignment. He had been recruited personally by Admiral Hackett and would be serving under Captain Anderson. He'd met him only once before today, but he knew all about his impressive career. He was one of the most decorated officers in the Alliance Systems Navy. He was one of the first graduates of the same N7 Special Forces program Shepard had been a part of. N7 training was brutal as hell, and after intense physical, mental and psychological combat training Shepard had graduated at the top of his class, just the same as Anderson. 

From the time he could walk Shepard’s parents had practically conditioned him to be a soldier, as they both were in the Alliance Navy themselves. He liked getting out there, liked the rush of adrenaline that hit when a fight started. He supposed most marines must, otherwise they wouldn’t be Alliance Marines. But the years of combat and loss had done the usual wear and tear that it always did, and the boyish enthusiasm he’d had at eighteen was long gone. In his decade in the service he’d matured into a pragmatic tactician and cool-headed veteran squad leader. 

Shepard walked into his tiny bunk area, which was little more than a single loft bunk over a locker and a tiny desk with a console and chair. The mattress looked like the standard hard and stiff military issue, but he wasn’t complaining. He’d slept in worse places. It was strange to him that he would have his own bunk instead of sharing with the rest of the crew, but privacy was hard to come by in his line of work so he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

"Settled in?" Shepard heard Captain Anderson's voice in the hallway behind him. He turned.

"Yes sir." Shepard replied.

"Good. Had a chance to look around I assume." Anderson stood with his hands behind his back, looking ever the soldier. 

Shepard nodded "This is quite a ship." 

Anderson smiled. "It’s a beauty isn't it?" He looked proud. Commanding a ship like the Normandy was a great accomplishment, and reflected the Council’s ever growing trust in humanity as part of the galactic community. The ship prototype had been co-developed by the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy, and it wasn’t just pretty. It was optimized for solo reconnaissance missions deep within unstable regions. It used state-of-the-art stealth technology, and was the first and only of its kind.

"You know officially you're on liberty until 0800, Commander," Anderson said. "You don't have to stick around here. Go get some ground under your feet."

Shepard looked at the time. It was only 1800. Even he couldn't occupy himself on an empty ship for that long. He nodded. "Thank you sir. I think I will."

Anderson turned to walk away. "See you tomorrow Shepard," he said as he walked.

The door to Shepard’s bunk hissed shut behind him and it felt claustrophobic and stuffy. He had changed his mind about the virtues of privacy. Getting out to occupy himself for a while suddenly seemed like a great idea. He could go to one of the Alliance friendly bars in the area, but he didn’t feel like drinking much, and he didn't really want to run into any of the new crew before tomorrow.

He thought he might call his friend Marisa who lived in Vancouver. The last time he’d seen her was over a year ago, but ever since they were teenagers they'd occasionally kept in touch. Marisa's father was in the Alliance and both he and Shepard's father had been stationed together when they were kids. Marisa and Shepard had become close and he credited her with more than a few of the firsts in his youth. She’d always been beautiful and magnetic, and for the last several years she’d had a pretty successful modeling career. He’d seen her in a few ads, and had teased her about it. Shepard felt like he could relax around her, and that meant a lot to him.

He sat at the console and dialed. After a couple of short, repetitive tones, Marisa’s face appeared on the screen before him sporting a slightly confused expression.

"Hello?" She said. 

"Hey.”

"Oh!” She smiled and shook her head. “Hi! I had no idea who it was. Your ID is blocked or something."

"It's a secure line. I’m on assignment.”

She chuckled. “Let me guess. You’re in Vancouver.” 

“Good guess. How did you know?”

“Because you only ever call me when you’re in town. Whenever you’re not I only get five word emails to tide me over.” She rolled her dark green eyes, but smiled.

“That’s not…” He sighed. “Fine. You got me there. How are you?” 

"I'm good. Busy, but I’m hanging in there.” 

“If you’re around I’d love to see you.” He thought he might as well just get to it. He counted his ability to get right to the point among both his strengths and weaknesses. It worked well enough in a military environment, but admittedly less so in the context of relationships. 

She pushed her long blonde hair off of her tanned shoulder, causing the loose shirt there to slide down another inch or so. It was a casual and innocent enough gesture, but Shepard definitely noticed. She smiled and leaned forward just a little to be closer to the console. “Awfully presumptuous of you to think I’d drop everything to have drinks with you after not seeing you for a year.” 

“Should be used to it by now.” Shepard joked. “So, how’s...what’s his name again?” He wasn’t trying to sound rude, but he honestly couldn’t remember the name of the person she’d been seeing the last time they’d met.

“Roberto. Sweet of you to ask considering I know what you want the answer to be.” She crossed her arms and tilted her head, another simple movement that brought his attention to the curve of her neck. 

“Hey. I’m happy for you if you’re happy, you know that.” That part was true. Shepard had always wanted Marisa to be happy, and he never wanted her to feel like she had to wait around for him to visit. He knew he could never be what she needed as far as time and attention. He was too busy and gone far too much to be able to offer those things, but he figured at least he knew that about himself. They’d decided long ago that their lifestyles weren’t even remotely compatible. 

“We broke up months ago.” She sighed.

“Yeah? Thought you liked that guy. What did he do to piss you off?”

“Actually he dumped me.”

“What the hell is wrong with him?” 

“He liked his work more than he liked me.”

“What an idiot.”

“I suppose.” She raised an eyebrow. “Does sound a little familiar though.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s very fair.”

She smiled. “I’m just teasing you John.” 

“Yeah I know. Well, you were right. I can’t say I’m disappointed he’s not around.”

“Like that would even deter you.” She scoffed.

“Probably not.” There had been a time or two when they’d met up and had dinner when Marisa was seeing someone, and he had casually suggested they spend the night together anyway. She had given him a stern look, and he’d let the matter drop. Still, he would have been crazy not to at least give it a shot. Marisa was stunning and funny and brilliant and affectionate, and when they were together it was incredible.

Marisa shrugged. “Maybe his loss is your gain.” Her voice had changed to something quieter and more suggestive and Shepard suspected he knew exactly how their night would go. 

“Lucky me.” Shepard matched her suggestive tone.

"I said maybe," she teased. "I’m glad you called. You look good."

Shepard smiled. “You too.” They paused to exchange a knowing smile. “I know it’s last minute -”

She laughed. “Meet me at Malagueta in an hour. It’s a nice bar so try to look presentable," she teased. “I’ll send you the address.”

Shepard chuckled quietly. "I'll see you there."

Marisa ended the vid call. It was true that he sometimes called her at the last minute when he was around, and she liked to give him a hard time about it, but he also knew she didn’t mind in the least. They both knew exactly what kind of arrangement they had, one that always led to nice conversation, a few drinks, and an amazing night together. He supposed that one day that arrangement would probably have to end, but it sure as hell wasn’t tonight. He looked at the time, calculated just how many hours he had until he had to be back, and got ready to go.

___

Kaidan Alenko had been up all night with a migraine. It finally subsided just as the sun was coming up. He yawned as he stared out the window of the Vancouver hotel room the Alliance military had put him up in for the past two nights. He looked at the clock. 0600. Not enough time to sleep before he had to report for duty on the Normandy.

If he wasn't so exhausted, he would be very excited. With his much coveted post on the Normandy, came a promotion from 1st Lieutenant to Staff Lieutenant. He'd been plucked from a slim roster of potentials by Admiral Hackett himself and he had to admit it made him feel proud. He would get to the Normandy early. He wanted to check out all the systems anyway. 

Freshly showered and shaved, Kaidan put on his uniform and checked out of the hotel, carrying his duffel bag. It was a short walk to the docks and the streets of Vancouver were quiet. The air was cool and damp and the sky a signature gray with the smell of rain in the air. Kaidan had always liked Vancouver. He'd grown up just outside of it, and knew that a lot of the kids he'd gone to school with were still around the area. It was a good place to raise a family. 

Kaidan used his access code on his omni tool at the gate and it slid open slowly. He nodded to the MP standing guard and headed to docking bay 4, where he would find the Normandy. He'd seen vids of it and simulations of its systems, but seeing it for real was impressive.

He walked past the two MPs on the outside of the door and into the airlock, where the pleasant voice of the ship's VI said "Logged. O624 hours. Lt. Alenko boarding. Please standby for decontamination." A thin wall of blue light traveled over Kaidan twice and then the door opened to the inside of the ship. Kaidan walked on and looked around him. It was quiet. At 6:30am probably very few, if any crew members were there yet. He'd memorized the layout and made his way to the crew bunks to deposit his personal items. He supposed the Captain was around somewhere by now, and probably Commander Shepard too.

Kaidan found his small locker with his name already on it and shoved his bag inside. Space was going to be tight on the Normandy, but he was used to sharing bunk space with quite a few other people. 

He made his way up to the bridge, taking note of the clean, cool air circulating throughout the ship. He was already starting to feel at home. When he arrived he found that there was a bearded man there. He appeared to be in some pain, and it looked like it was a lot of effort for him to sit down into the pilot’s chair. He walked over to him.

"You must be Lt. Moreau," Kaidan said. The bearded man looked up.

"That's me." He responded. 

"Kaidan Alenko," Kaidan said and extended his hand, which Moreau shook.

"Call me Joker. You're the biotic right?"

Kaidan was a little surprised Joker knew that and a little surprised that anyone would call him "the" biotic, but he supposed it was accurate. Kaidan was relatively sure there were no other biotics on board.

"Yeah," he answered. "I guess I am." He gestured to the chair and console next to the pilot station. "I'll also be riding shotgun here for the most part."

"Cool. I heard you don't talk much, but that's okay. I talk enough for both of us." Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "You're a tech right?" Joker asked.

Kaidan nodded. "Yeah. I’m familiar with all the major systems on this frigate. I'm also a trained field medic."

"Good," Joker joked. "When I fall down and snap one of my legs off you can patch me up _and_ fly this bird." Kaidan decided not to ask him to elaborate on that, but he gathered that Joker probably had some kind of medical condition.

Three female voices broke the silence of the ship as the door to the outside opened. Kaidan and Joker watched them walk in, chatting amongst themselves. All three were wearing their Alliance uniforms. They carried bags over their shoulders.

"Think the rest of the crew is women?" Joker said as he watched them walk down the hall.

Kaidan smiled. "Not all of them."

"Gonna be awhile til we get some shore leave I bet," Joker said, still staring down the now empty hallway wistfully.

"Guess you should have thought about that before you came on board." Kaidan teased. 

Joker put his head down and shook it. He sighed. "I did think about it. I more than thought about it," he said. He looked at Kaidan. "Oh man, there was this bartender last night –"

"Where is the Captain?" A strong voice came from the door, cutting Joker off. Kaidan turned to see a Turian standing in the doorway to the bridge. He was waiting for an answer. Kaidan had known there would be a Turian on board as a representative of the Council. He’d had some interactions with Turians and other aliens before, but not enough to really get a feel for what they were generally like.

"I just got on board." Kaidan stood. "I assume the Captain is in his quarters. You must be here with the Council?" 

The Turian nodded. "Nihlus Kryik. I'm a representative of the Council here to observe your first mission."

"Lt. Alenko," Kaidan said. He nodded toward Joker. "This is flight Lt. Moreau."

Nihlus nodded. "Lieutenants," he said. Then he turned and walked away.

“I hate that guy.” Joker said. 

“You just met him.”

“Gives me the creeps. Something’s off about him. Call me paranoid.” 

“You’re paranoid. The council helped fund this project. They have a right to keep an eye on their investment.”

“I know. Just don’t want him looking over my shoulder while I try to put this baby through her paces.” 

Kaidan was distracted then by the sounds of a few more crew members boarding. He guessed he wasn't the only one that had been excited about the ship. Everyone seemed to be showing up early, and Kaidan was suddenly very anxious to get going.

___

By the time Shepard was done with his shower, the Normandy was buzzing with the crew. His stomach grumbled just a little, and he cursed himself for not grabbing something to eat on the way back to the ship. Marisa had offered to make him breakfast, but it was very early and he could tell she hadn’t wanted to get out of bed. He’d kissed her, left her there, and shown himself out. 

Anderson was already in the CIC leaning over one of the FTL coms, cup of coffee in one hand. Shepard wondered if he'd even slept. He turned to face Shepard and nodded.

"Good morning, Shepard." Anderson said.

"Good morning sir." Shepard replied.

"Big day. I trust you got a good night's rest?" 

“Not really.” He tried not to smile as he remembered why.

Anderson laughed. "I didn't sleep either. I'll be honest. I'm too damned excited about this ship."

Shepard nodded. "The crew seems to be excited too. They're here early."

"It's a good crew, Shepard." Anderson said.

"Yes sir." Shepard agreed. Anderson and Hackett had included much of his input in the selection process regarding the crew. They'd put together an impressive bunch.

The door opened then and the Turian, Nihlus stepped in. Shepard nodded at him. He knew the official reason why he was there on the Normandy, but something in Shepard’s gut wasn’t sitting right about it. 

"Nihlus," Anderson began. "I'm glad you're here. I was just speaking with the Commander. Since you're both here now I thought it would be a good time to brief him."

Nihlus nodded, looked at Shepard. "I agree," he said, rather knowingly. 

Anderson sighed. "This isn’t a simple shake down run. Shepard." 

“I had a feeling.”

Anderson chuckled. “Of course you did. We're headed to Eden Prime just as planned, but not for maneuvers. We have a mission, highly classified."

Shepard nodded. "What are the details?" Shepard had a soldier’s mind, asked questions that got right to the heart of the mission, and his sharp analytical skills had always served him well in combat when he had to make quick decisions. He’d been like that since he was a kid, curious and logical and always assessing whatever situation he found himself in. When he’d first joined up a couple of his superiors had told him he was too smart for infantry, that he would be wasted as a grunt who could just hit things hard. But that was where he’d wanted to be. He knew it was a tough job, and someone had to do it. 

"An archeological team on Eden Prime recently unearthed a Prothean beacon during one of their digs." Anderson continued. "I'm sure you understand why this is classified."

“Prothean. That’s a hell of a discovery.” Shepard knew that all of the technological advances humans and non-humans alike had made regarding space exploration in the past several thousand years were based on ancient Prothean technology. Even though the Protheans, a race of technologically advanced beings, disappeared 50,000 years ago the council races were still trying to understand everything they had left behind. Shepard knew that there had been various smaller findings throughout the galaxy, but this sounded like a big deal. When humanity had found the data cache on Mars thirty-five years ago, it had been the thing that had allowed them to get off of earth and into the galaxy.

“I’m sure you understand the Council’s interest in this, and our need for discretion,” Nihlus said. “The colony doesn’t have the resources to study it or keep it safe so our mission is to secure it and return it to the Citadel.”

"Are we expecting trouble?" Eden Prime was a safe, colonial farming planet but it was still on the fringe of the Terminus Systems. Eden Prime was not without military presence, but there were raiders, pirates, mercenary groups, Batarian extremists, and other unsavory elements that might love to get their hands on something so valuable. 

“I’m always expecting trouble,” Nihlus said. 

“We’re hoping it’s a simple pickup, but we have to be ready for anything,” Anderson said. "You, Alenko, and Corporal Jenkins will be the muscle of the op. I'll be fully briefing Pressly, Joker, and Lt. Alenko after we set a course. Everyone else is need to know.”

“Understood.”

“There was something else I needed to speak with you about, Shepard." Anderson looked at Nihlus. "As you may know, humanity has been pushing to get one of our own accepted into Special Tactics and Recon for quite some time."

"Yes sir," he simply said.

"Nihlus isn't just here to observe the mission. He’s a SpecTRe, and he's here to evaluate you."

Shepard looked at Nihlus, who was staring at him intensely. The SpecTRes were an elite handful of operatives that worked quietly and sometimes not so quietly throughout the galaxy to achieve the Council’s agenda. Shepard wasn’t sure how he felt about that. His loyalties were to the Alliance, not The Council, and the idea of SpecTRe status sounded too solitary for his liking. 

"We've been watching your career for quite some time, Commander," Nihlus said. "Your service record is impressive, and I'd like to see first hand what you’re capable of. This will be the first of several missions you and I will have together." 

Shepard nodded, thinking. He looked at Anderson. "I assume whether or not I’m interested doesn't really matter." It had been nice of them to pretend he'd had a choice.

Anderson shrugged slightly. "Let's just say we were all hoping we wouldn't have to convince you." Anderson clapped him on the shoulder.

"I guess I’m convinced, Sir. Sounds like it would be good for the Alliance." The first human SpecTRe. It was a real honor, and it finally hit him just how important that role might become. He wished he’d had more than a few seconds to process it. He thought about his career leading up to this point. He had never tried to climb the ranks in any real way, but he had been promoted often anyway. He was good at his job. He liked getting his hands dirty, and he liked working with other soldiers. Commanding others was one thing. Working independently or becoming some sort of symbol of humanity was another thing entirely, and he didn’t relish the idea of any kind of fame or attention. He stopped his mind from racing. He was getting ahead of himself. He wasn’t a SpecTRe yet, if he ever even became one. They had work to do, and it was best not to let his mind wander.

Anderson glanced at Nihlus and then back at Shepard. "Good. I can’t think of a better candidate. But let’s focus on the mission for now, and get this bird in the air.”

"Aye aye, Captain." Shepard said. He looked at Nihlus again before he walked out. He made his way to the bridge and re-introduced himself to the Lieutenants there. He’d met them before, had even had a beer with Alenko. He liked them both from what he could tell, and that would be important if they were going to be working closely together. “Joker” as the pilot wanted to be called was possibly the best pilot in the entire fleet. He had an acerbic tone and a sarcastic wit and Shepard hoped that wouldn’t end up being a problem. Alenko seemed smart and quiet and Shepard had a feeling they were going to get along just fine. He briefly met with the rest of the crew on the bridge. A few, he had spoken with over vid chats before, and some he didn’t know at all. He didn’t have enough time to do much more than put faces to the names he’d seen on the roster, but he looked forward to having one on one meetings with them all at some point. 

He wanted to be on the bridge when they made their way to orbit, and as they made preparations to go, Captain Anderson joined them in the cockpit. He made a welcome announcement to the crew over the ship’s speakers. He made it a point to remind them they’d earned their roles here, and he said a few words to bolster morale. When the Captain reported it was time to shove off Shepard heard some cheers and whooping traveling through the ship. He smiled to himself. It was good to know that the crew was as excited as he was. 

The lift off from the docking bay and the short travel to orbit was the smoothest ride Shepard had ever felt. He thought if he hadn’t been looking out the window he might not have even been able to tell they were moving at all. In a moment they were surrounded by the blackness of space and heading off in the direction of the mass relay that would propel them at faster than light speed to Eden Prime’s system. Shepard stood, arms crossed, listening to the technical chatter between Joker and the crew. The mass relay, another Prothean device tens of thousands of years old, slowly filled Shepard’s entire field of vision as they approached. It was huge, and no matter how many times he went through it he was always impressed.

Joker's voice counted down their arrival. "Hitting the relay in 3, 2, 1…" he said, and a subtle shift of vertigo washed over Shepard as a bright blue light filled the space.


	2. Prime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams witnesses the destruction of Eden Prime, and suffers the loss of her friends.

**Chapter 2: Prime**

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams ran as hard as her exhausted legs would carry her. She tasted blood and soot in her mouth and sweat dripped into her eyes as she tried to ignore all of the new pain in her body. Her lungs burned and she couldn’t tell if it was because she was sprinting or because the explosions and gunfire that gutted her patrol had concussed her chest and ribcage. She was still trying to make sense of what happened. It had been a normal day, a normal patrol. Her unit, the 212, had driven only a few kilometers from the colony when they got word of the attack there. On their way back, there was a split second when she thought something was very wrong, and then the vehicle in front of hers exploded in a ball of flame. More explosions followed as the other transports were hit and destroyed. The soldiers in them hadn’t had a chance. She and the others in her vehicle barely managed to scramble out of theirs before it went up as well, and then gunfire erupted all around her. The enemy had descended fast and her squad had tried to run for what little cover the rocky terrain provided. A firefight with drones and some form of synthetic troopers had ensued and she watched helplessly as her squad members fell around her. She thought she heard someone trying to get out a distress call, but the ringing in her ears from the fight kept her from fully understanding it. They were overrun, and no matter how many she took down with her assault rifle there seemed to be more. It had all happened so fast, and the last thing she remembered was searing heat and an impact that felt like she’d been hit by a truck. She’d flown, slammed into a boulder, smashed into the ground, and everything had gone dark.

She had no idea how long she was out, but it was long enough for the enemy to have moved on. She could see flashes of weapons and hear explosions and gunfire in the distance and realized Eden Prime was under full attack by an unknown force. She’d done a search for survivors among who she could find of the 212, but to her horror there seemed to be none. Twenty soldiers had gone out into the field today, and only one was left. She was alone and nauseous at the thought. She was all that was left of her unit. If she’d had a moment to think about it she would have collapsed and screamed, but she had to get back to the colony as quickly as possible. She had to keep fighting.

As she got more surrounded by the cluster of burning buildings, the structures offered more cover, but not enough to deter the drones. They were practically silent until one shot at her and missed, hitting the wall behind her. She grunted, rolled out of the line of fire and set about scrambling from one flimsy cover to the next. Every time they found her they were relentless, opening fire whenever she emerged from a hiding spot. Eventually, as she approached a more open area devoid of buildings or boulders, she realized she would need to cross it in order to get closer to the heart of the colony. Her only choice was to run. She closed her eyes, took a deep, painful breath, and bolted out from behind her cover. She felt heat and felt the ground explode next to her several times as shots barely missed her. She ran and didn’t look back, putting as much distance between them as possible. More than once she felt indirect blows to her shields propelling her forward. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her muscles were shaking. She was tired. She ran, hoping, praying that she would stumble upon another unit that was faring better than hers.

She knew her shields wouldn’t hold if there was a direct hit, and she couldn’t run forever. She made up her mind to turn and fight. One more glancing blow off of her shields was enough to push her forward, launching her into a clumsy dive. She skidded across the dirt, turning on her shoulder and raising her weapon. She aimed, fired and managed to hit both drones with a well aimed cluster of shots. They exploded in the air, sending flaming parts flying towards her. She put her hand up to shield herself.

She heard a noise then like nothing she'd heard before, a mechanical series of clicks and hums that made her turn her head. She saw six or seven armed, walking, moving, almost humanoid synthetics just like the ones that had attacked her squad, and they were no more than twenty yards away from her. They seemed to be communicating to each other and holding a dead human body. They propped the man onto a nearby surface and she noticed then that he was still moving, still alive. Her stomach turned and she let out a small audible gasp as the man was impaled brutally on a large metal spike that rose from below him. She stood, frozen for a second, eyes wide, horrified. And then they spotted her.

"Fuck," she whispered to herself. She ran to the nearest tall rock she could find and hid. It was no use. They'd seen her, and she was outnumbered and about to be surrounded. She was going to die, she realized, and more than anything it made her fucking angry. When she died today, she was going to take as many of those bastards as she could with her. She fiddled with her grenade belt. She only had one so she would need to make it count. She armed it, popped out of cover, and chucked it into the center of the group that was approaching. She heard the mechanical chatter again as she ducked back behind the rock, and then a boom followed by a loud rainfall of clanking shrapnel. It was her chance to take more out while they were distracted. She leaned out of cover and started firing. Several were laying there, ripped to pieces by the explosion and she shot down a couple more as they approached. She was still outnumbered, but her adrenaline pumping through her made her exhilarated that she wasn’t making this easy for them. 

She felt a blast rip through her shoulder armor and the intense impact spun her and sent her to the ground, stunned. Before she could scramble for her dropped weapon, the last enemy standing advanced on her quickly. She growled, grabbed her rifle and started to turn to aim. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. She knew she would never get a single shot off before this thing did, but she was going to try anyway. A barrage of loud gunfire riddled the creature with a quick series of metallic clanks. It fell to the ground just a couple of feet away with a dull clunk, and then there was silence. Ash snapped her head toward two men who were coming toward her. She was relieved to see that they wore Alliance armor, but she thought they might as well have been wearing angel wings. She knew they weren't part of the groundside garrison, which meant someone thankfully had put out the distress call and the Alliance had responded.

Ash staggered to her feet, doubled over with her hands on her knees and let out an exhausted, breathy laugh. She stood and tried desperately to catch her breath.

"Holy shit, I could kiss you both," she said, not caring about her informal tone.

"We saw you go down. Are you hurt?" asked one of them from behind the helmet and visor that showed only his brown eyes.

She was hurt more than she had initially realized. She looked down at her shoulder where the blast had hit her. As her adrenaline subsided she felt all of her other injuries as well. Her broken fingers throbbed, her head felt like her helmet was the only thing keeping it together, and she was pretty sure she had cracked a rib or two. There would be bruises on her back from where the blasts had hit her shields, and there was a gash in her lip that had bled into her mouth.

“I’m fine,” she lied. The man who had spoken approached her, took out a Medigel applicator and examined her shoulder as the other kept watch on their surroundings.

“You don’t look fine. Looks like the armor took the brunt of the blast, but it definitely got through. Here.” He applied the medigel through the hole with the applicator and Ash hissed through her teeth. It burned like hell, but she knew it would stop any infection or further tearing.

"What's your name?" Ashley looked at the other man when he spoke. His eyes were blue, and there was a small N7 insignia on his armor, but other than that she could hardly tell the two men apart.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212."

He nodded. "Commander Shepard." He gestured to the brown eyed man. "Lt. Alenko." He looked back at her. "Give me a report, Williams."

She took a deep breath and spoke, and tried to keep from racing through her tale. "Yes sir," she started. "We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to double back to the colony but we walked right into an ambush and..." 

"How’d you get separated from your squad?” Shepard asked.

“I’m all that’s left,” she said simply. It sounded casual, almost like it was nothing, a small detail in a report. She figured she was probably in shock. He nodded, but then he looked away. She was glad. The last thing she wanted in the moment was sympathy.

“We got a distress call,” he continued. “Got here a little while ago.” Shepard gestured to the still bodies on the ground. “What are these things?"

She looked at the dead one nearby. Its elongated neck curved into a small area where instead of a face, there was a simple single lens that looked like a large flashlight. It had two legs, two arms, and seemed to be entirely synthetic. These were not simple mechs used by the military or merc bands. These seemed smarter and more terrifying. As she examined it, she thought it seemed familiar somehow, like she had seen them before. And then it hit her. 

"I think they might be Geth," she said, but she could hardly believe her own words. All she knew about the Geth is that centuries ago, the Quarians had created them as a form of cheap labor, but they had rebelled and chased the Quarians into exile. She had seen only an old picture long ago back in high school.

“The Geth haven’t been seen outside the Perseus Veil for hundreds of years,” Alenko said. “Could it really be them?” 

Ash shrugged. "Hell if I know. Do Geth do that?” She pointed at the metal spike in the distance, where the man she saw earlier now hung motionless. She hoped to god he was dead. Shepard and Alenko both glanced up.

“Hell if I know,” Shepard repeated her own statement and looked at her again. 

“Well whatever they are, all I know for sure is that they came in heavy and fast, but they go down with a few bullets in ‘em. Thanks for the rescue by the way.”

Shepard glanced in the direction of the mangled pile of still smoking metal creatures that had blown up with her grenade. “Yeah... Looks like you were doin’ ok for yourself.”

She shrugged. “They pissed me off.” She was certain that her body was staying upright at this moment purely because of the rage she was feeling. She wanted nothing more now than to obliterate as many of those monsters as she possibly could. 

Shepard paused in thought, then nodded. "Do you know anything about the beacon that was dug up here recently? We need to secure it." 

"The beacon?" Ashley knew that the beacon had been a pretty important discovery. It had been the talk of the colony even though she knew no one was really supposed to know about it. The information gathered from a relic like that could propel mankind even further into the future. The bar she frequented had even named a fruity drink after it. She hadn’t thought for a second that it could be worth all of this. "It should be at the dig site not far from here." She gestured.

"Okay you’re with us. You good?" Shepard asked. He stepped forward and looked her in the eye.

"I’m good, sir.” Her answer seemed to satisfy him.

Shepard nodded "Let’s move out.”

It took only a few minutes to hike to the dig site. Along the way they came across a handful of charred bodies. Whoever they had been, Ashley knew she would never forget the awful smell. The area was eerily silent as they moved along with their weapons ready.. Ashley knew that probably meant the Geth had advanced further toward the colony. She thought of all the innocent civilians there and gritted her teeth under her helmet. As they approached the location she could see that the beacon was not where she'd last seen it. The spot where it had been unearthed was an empty hole.

"Dammit," she said. "It's not here. It must have been moved."

"By who?" Alenko asked. “Our side or the Geth?”

Ash shrugged. "Can’t say sir.”

“Where might it have been taken?” Shepard asked.

“I’m not sure. I suppose if-” 

“Shepard. It’s Nihlus.” A gravelly voice crackled in Ash’s ear over the radio. “Just came from the main compound. Lots of burned out buildings. A lot of bodies.” Ash managed a couple of deep breaths. “There’s a spaceport up ahead. Let’s rendezvous there as soon as you’re able.”

“Copy that,” Shepard’s radio beeped out. “Williams?”

“I was going to say if they were gonna move it they probably would have taken it to the spaceport. Sounds like that’s where we headed right?”

“Lead the way.”

They had a handful of short firefights with patrolling drones and on-foot troopers on their way up the hill, but with two other soldiers at her back, Ash felt more confident, and they quickly disposed of them. Shepard was a good shot, and she was surprised to see Alenko use biotics on a couple of them. She’d never seen biotics used in combat in person. As one of the drones was hit with a blast of biotic energy it shot backwards and smashed to pieces on a rock behind it. Ash thought she probably would not like to be on the other end of a biotic attack. When they finally reached the top of the hill overlooking the spaceport she could feel her arm muscles shaking. The medigel had helped her shoulder, but it was still a challenge to hold her heavy assault rifle up. 

"Holy shit," Alenko’s voice was slightly less calm than it had been prior to the moment. Ashley looked at him and followed his gaze until she saw what he was looking at.

“Oh my god,” she whispered. 

"Well that’s sure as hell something you don’t see every day,” Shepard stared at the sky with the two of them.

“It’s a ship.” Ashley said. “Look at the size of it!” In the distance, slowly ascending into the clouds was a monstrous black ship. It seemed bigger than anything she had ever seen, and it looked almost organic, like a large crab or insect. It’s gnarled legs seemed to move independently of each other, and they extended from a thick central body. It traveled up into the sky steadily and began emitting a deep groaning noise that made Ashley’s teeth hurt. She cringed, and noticed the others looked affected too.

“What the hell is that noise?” Alenko asked, but Ashley could barely hear it. It was almost as if the noise was coming from inside her own head, and then as quickly as it had started, the noise subsided, and the ship made its way up and into the clouds and out of sight. They all glanced at each other. Ashley’s mouth hung open, and she was grateful neither superior officer could see it.

"We need to get to that spaceport now." Shepard’s voice was calm and steady, but he had already started making his way down the other side of the hill. “Move. Let’s go.”

They descended the path quickly, weapons ready for anything. Ashley hoped that that giant ship leaving meant that it had taken the bad guys with it, but she knew the damage to the colony had been done. As they rounded the corner, she stopped in her tracks. 

Before them stood a field of giant metal spikes, each piercing the torso of a corpse. There were less than ten of them, but to Ashley they stretched as far as the eye could see. She shuddered and remembered the man she’d watched it happen to. She squinted, looking closer, and Ash realized the bodies at the top were not human bodies at all. They appeared charred, disfigured, and some sort of blue power current seemed to be running through them.

“Those were people,” she said. 

“What the hell are they now?” Shepard asked.

"What did they do to them?" she whispered, mostly to herself. She blinked as the one she was looking at moved.

"Oh god. They're still alive!" Alenko yelled. A shriek of metal pierced Ashley’s ears, and she watched the spikes descend quickly and lower the bodies to the ground. Once free of the metal stakes, the creatures lurched to their feet, turned toward the three of them and let out a primal scream as they charged.

"Take 'em out!" Shepard ordered. They opened fire as the creatures came surging toward them at full speed emitting gurgling half-human screams. Ash was sure she would never forget the sound. As they took them down she hoped to hell that whoever they had been was long gone. If not, then maybe killing them was a mercy. When they were all finally down, they approached one and stood over it. There didn’t seem to be anything human about the creature anymore. It looked like a mechanical zombie with glowing blue eyes and an open mouth, frozen in indiscriminate aggression. "Come on," Shepard said and they moved forward and up onto the spaceport platform.

The platform itself looked deserted, and after splitting up to do a sweep of the area, Ashley heard Alenko’s voice on the radio.

"Commander," Alenko said. “I found Nihlus. He’s dead.”

Ashley and Shepard joined Alenko, who was kneeling over a dead Turian laying on the platform. The Turian’s lifeless eyes were open, and a pool of dark blue blood spread out from underneath him. Ash had only ever seen a handful of Turians in her life. She'd never actually talked to one. There certainly weren’t any on Eden Prime, but clearly this one had come with Shepard and Alenko. Turians didn’t usually work with The Alliance, and now she had questions she wanted to ask later if they ever got out of this alive. She started at a soft noise a few feet away.

"Something's moving!" she said. "Behind those crates!" They all pointed their weapons toward the noise.

"Don't kill me!" said a quiet, terrified voice.

"Come out here," Shepard ordered. A short man in non-military coveralls emerged, hands up. He appeared to be a worker of some kind. Shepard lowered his weapon and indicated for Ash and Alenko to do the same. "What are you doing sneaking around back there?"

"I – hiding..."

"Did you see what happened here?" Shepard cut him off. He gestured to Nihlus' body, clearly eager to get some answers.

"Uh…he…the other one shot him. They were talking and-" The man said. His arms were still up even though no weapons were pointed at him.

"What the hell are you talking about? What other one?" Shepard asked.

"There was another Turian here a little while ago. I… I think they knew each other. At first they seemed friendly. I mean they called each other by name. But then this one turned his back and...the other one just shot him."

“Who’s this other Turian? You said you heard a name. What was it?” Ashley could sense that Shepard was growing impatient. 

“Uh...This one called the other one Saren...Saren was the other name I think.”

Shepard pointed to the Turian. "I need you to be sure. This is a council SpecTRe, so think real hard." 

Ash looked at Nihlus' body again. A SpecTRe. Whatever was going on, it was bigger than she thought.

The man nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes! I'm sure. His name was Saren. He said that the Council thought he could use some help, but then he shot him. That’s all I know!" The man finally remembered to put his hands down.

Ash looked at Shepard. Even with the helmet she could tell his jaw was clenched in frustration.

“Shit.” He glanced at Alenko. “We’re looking for the beacon that was dug up. Do you know anything about that?“

The man scoffed. “Well if you find it you’re gonna find a lot of mean fucking robots too I can tell ya that much.” 

“Did you see where they took it?”

The man nodded and pointed to the tram. “Cargo tram. Loaded it up a little while ago.”

"Alright, thanks. Stay out of sight," Shepard told him. "Alliance rescue’s on the way."

“Thank you. I’ll just...hang here. Thank you!” The man ducked back beneath the boxes.

They boarded the large, flat platform, and Ashley went to the control panel. It jerked to life, momentarily jostling the three of them as it began to move slowly down the track. It was far too slow for her liking. They were exposed, with no cover. The others seemed to notice too and moved into position to keep an eye out in different directions. As she scanned the area for signs of hostiles, she took a deep breath. She felt like it was the first time she had breathed all day. It seemed quiet, so her curiosity got the better of her.

"Okay," she began. "Can you help me understand what’s going on here? This is obviously not a rescue mission. You guys got here too fast for that. And you’re focused on the beacon, not the Geth. And now there’s a dead Turian SpecTRe on a human colony?”

“It’s classified,” Alenko dismissed. Ash felt her cheeks redden with anger, but she maintained her position and raised her voice. 

“With respect, Lt. I just watched my entire unit and the colony I was supposed to protect get fucking slaughtered.”

“I know. I’m sorry Chief. Like I said -”

“God dammit, just tell me what’s going on!” She hadn’t meant to snap or raise her voice, or to move from her position to step forward toward Alenko. She was barely keeping herself together now that they had a moment and her heart was pounding and her face was hot. She wasn’t trying to be threatening, and she knew that none of this was Alenko’s fault, but he happened to be standing in the line of fire of her pent up anger about it all. He raised a hand to calm her and looked like he was going to speak, but Shepard stepped between the two of them and gently grabbed her arm to discourage her from getting closer. 

“Hey. Enough. It’s okay, Lieutenant. She’s right.” Shepard turned to her and released her arm. “We came for the beacon. Our orders were to get in and secure it and take it to The Citadel. We thought maybe there was a chance someone might make a play for it, but we never..." He sighed. "I thought maybe mercs or pirates, not Geth.”

"And what? Alliance intel just dropped the ball?" She was still seething. “We were blindsided. If we had any warning-”

“Listen. I agree with you.” It was Shepard’s turn to raise his voice. “Maybe someone should have seen this coming, but that’s not what happened. We still have a job to do. We can talk about this later.” He didn’t sound angry, but she knew it was his way of shutting down the conversation. She finally nodded, took a deep breath, and turned away from them both as the tram pulled into it’s station. They all readied their weapons again, but it was so quiet Ash could hear the birds in the nearby trees. They seemed blissfully unaware of what was happening. She envied them. They did a quick sweep of the area, but the geth were gone. 

“Shepard, over here.” Alenko said over the radio. Ash and Shepard moved to his location where tucked in a corner was a large explosive device, and it was counting down much faster than she was comfortable with. It wasn’t just a bomb. It looked like the type of heavy ordinance that could take out half the colony.

"Alenko," Shepard said.

"I’m on it." Alenko crouched next to the bomb and his omni-tool hummed to life. Ash really hoped he knew what he was doing. 

"Can you defuse it?" Ash asked. Her voice was a little shakier than she had hoped.

Shepard looked at the timer. "We'll find out in about three minutes."

Ashley watched Shepard as he watched Alenko. He didn't seem to be nervous, and she hoped that meant he knew Alenko was a pro at this. She jumped when she heard a series of fast beeps from the bomb. For a split second she thought that was it, that they were going to be blown to hell, and then Alenko spoke.

"Got it," he breathed with relief.

Only then did Ash see Shepard let out a deep relieved breath. He exchanged a look with Alenko, and even though she could only see their eyes, she could see both of them had been far more nervous than they’d looked. They descended a set of stairs, weapons still out and at the bottom, on a large platform was the beacon that had been unearthed a short while ago. Ash recognized it.

“There it is.” She looked around. The beacon was alone in the middle of the space, almost as if it had been presented there. It didn’t make sense. “If the beacon’s still here, then where are the Geth?” Ash asked. 

“I don’t know, but judging by that bomb it looks like they’re done here.” Shepard holstered his weapon. Ashley and Alenko followed suit.

“Why would they leave without it?” Alenko stepped toward the tall, slim, oddly alien looking beacon that seemed to be glowing. 

Shepard ignored the question and got on his radio. “Normandy, this is Shepard. The beacon is secure. Requesting pickup at these coordinates.”

“Wow,” Alenko said. “Actual real, working, Prothean technology. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

He continued speaking, but Ashley could only hear the faint hum of the beacon as she approached it. It glowed a strange spectral green and seemed to warp and distort the air around it. It was absolutely fascinating, and she felt compelled to get a closer look. "It wasn't doing anything like this when they dug it up," she said thoughtfully. “Something must have activated it.” She started to wonder about where it came from when she felt a dull jolt course through her body.

The world spun before her. Her head was swimming. She felt off balance, felt her body vibrating and being pulled in all directions. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn’t breathe. For a moment her vision blurred and she got the sensation of her feet rising up off of the ground. She managed to gasp for air.

She hit the ground hard, rolled a short distance away, and wrenched her already injured shoulder. Her vision focused as Alenko came into her line of sight and hovered above her. She thought she heard him ask if she was all right, but everything seemed slow and there was a ringing in her ears. She shook her head, trying to escape the feeling and when she looked up again she was shocked to see Shepard suspended in mid air in front of the beacon.

Oh God, she thought. He must have pushed her away and gotten caught in her place. She climbed to her knees in an attempt to get up. "Shepard!" she yelled, but she was grabbed from behind by Alenko.

"No don't!" he barked, holding her arm. She almost fought with him until she realized she had no idea what she would even do if she approached Shepard. She watched as the commander's body jerked and flinched. It looked painful, and just when she thought she couldn't take watching anymore, the beacon exploded, sending Shepard's body backward and downward with the blast. He hit hard, and the sound of his armor produced a dull, dead clank on the metal platform below him. He didn't move.

In a panic, Ash wiggled away from a surprised and confused Alenko and ran to Shepard. Her heart raced as she removed his helmet as gently as she possibly could. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized he was still breathing. Behind her, she heard Alenko on the com, arranging medical attention for their pickup.

“Shepard?” 

“Let me.” Alenko knelt next to him and activated his omni-tool. “His pulse is fast, but it’s there. Breathing looks normal.” He opened Shepard’s eyes one after another and shined a light into them. “Pupils aren’t responsive.”

“What was that?” Ash asked and glanced at the smoking remains of the beacon.

“I don’t know. Wasn’t expecting that.” Alenko looked at his omni tool as it did some further diagnostics. 

“Is he gonna be okay?”

“Nothing’s broken, doesn’t look like there’s head trauma.”

A humorless laugh escaped her. “Okay so what, you’re a biotic, the bomb squad  _ and  _ a doctor? You a bartender too because I could really use a drink.” 

“Biotic. Medic. Tech. And I suppose I can make a decent martini.” He swiped his omni-tool over Shepard’s body once more before putting it away. “The Normandy should be here in a minute.”

“That's your ship?” Ashley relaxed back a little in her seated position, but didn’t take her eyes off of Shepard’s face.

“Yeah. Need a ride?” 

“Might as well.” She scoffed. And then she thought of the 212. 

There was a thick silence and then Alenko sighed and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry about your unit, Williams. I’m sorry about all of this. I wish we’d gotten here sooner.”

“Thanks. Me too.” She swallowed the lump in her throat just in time to see the Normandy descend. In a moment there was medical staff running out and she moved out of the way. They spoke with Alenko, got Shepard on a hovering stretcher and then Alenko motioned for her to follow him. When she was in the cargo hold of the ship, she turned to take a look outside at the place that had been her recent home. She would miss the cherry trees, she thought. It was a strange thought to have given everything that had just happened, but she focused her gaze on a bird sitting in one and didn’t blink for a long time. She felt alone, even with the medics clamoring to get Shepard to the med bay. She felt dizzy for a second, and then shook her head and removed her helmet to take big gulps of fresh air. She knew she would never return to Eden Prime. 

  
  



	3. The Citadel

**Chapter 3: Citadel**

Shepard’s head was pounding before he even opened his eyes. He heard the muffled voices of two people, one of which sounded like Dr. Chakwas, the ship’s physician. As the sounds started to form into words, Shepard realized he must be on The Normandy. He peeled his eyes open and everything was too bright too fast, causing him to flinch and bring his hand up to shield himself from the light. The offending brightness eventually softened to the dim glow of the ship’s med bay. 

“Dr. Chakwas, he’s awake!” He thought maybe he recognized the woman’s voice, but he wasn’t sure. His brain felt scrambled, and the room was still spinning a little. With one eye closed and the other squinted, he saw Dr. Chakwas and a dark haired woman move into his field of vision and hover above him. When his vision finally focused on the woman looking down at him, he studied her concerned brown eyes for a moment and lingered there to collect his thoughts. 

Williams, he remembered. That was her name. They’d been on Eden Prime. They were there for the beacon. Did they find it? He was struggling to organize his jumbled thoughts as he worked to sit upright on the bed. He blinked a few times and looked at Williams again, but now he saw that she had bruises, scrapes, and burns on her face, neck, and arms. Under her sports bra he noticed her purple ribs and her fingers that rested on his bed were taped up in white medical tape. She must have been in the med bay to get patched up. 

He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, but immediately regretted it and brought his hand up to hold his forehead. There were two small sensors stuck to it. He picked absently at one for a second, and then took stock of the rest of himself. His armor and exo suit had been removed down to his underwear, his bare chest had two more sensors stuck to it, and he was covered to his waist with a white sheet. He fumbled again at one of the sensors on his forehead, but Dr. Chakwas caught his hand.

“Leave it, Commander.” Dr. Chakwas said. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” he croaked and looked at the doctor. 

“How are you feeling?” She had already started checking his vitals with her omni-tool.

“What happened?” He felt like the morning after shore leave.

Williams stepped forward. “It was my fault. I must have gotten too close to the beacon and activated some kind of energy field. You pushed me out of the way and got caught in it.” He vaguely remembered hearing her gasp as she was pulled by some invisible force toward the beacon. She had been struggling hard, and Shepard had thought to tackle her and break her out of its grasp, but it seemed it had snared him in her place. Everything after that was a blur. 

“It’s okay,” he said. He was starting to feel a little more solid. “Did we recover the beacon?”

“Just pieces of it, unfortunately,” Chakwas said. “Here. Drink this.” She handed him a small cup of water. He sipped it and it parched his scratchy throat.

“What do you mean?”

“The beacon exploded,” Williams said. “System overload maybe. The blast knocked you cold. You’ve been out for about five hours.”

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Shit. Is there anything about it we could salvage?”

Williams shrugged. “Maybe. It’s all been brought on board and we’re on our way to the Citadel,” she said. 

He nodded. “I need to talk to Anderson.” He tossed the blanket off of his lap, and sat on the edge of the bed facing Williams.

“You need to rest, Commander.” Chakwas’ tone was unimpressed with his attempt to stand. 

“I’m fine right?” he asked. 

“Physically yes. There’s no trauma to the head or anywhere else, but you should really-”

“I feel fine.” Williams stepped back to give him some room to stand. He did so, and began to pluck the sensors from his forehead and chest. 

“However,” Chakwas’s voice had the tone of a person who was trying to take care of a sick child who wanted to go out and play. “I detected some unusual brain activity. Abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with dreaming. Do you remember anything?” 

Shepard pulled on the fatigue pants that someone had left for him on the table next to his bed and he thought about it as he buttoned and zipped them up. After a moment, he looked at the doctor. “I do remember something…” There was something important he had learned, something that eluded him. He tried to remember exactly what it was, but it slipped away again and again. He closed his eyes, and then flashes of images rushed at him. It was a barrage of fire and violence and torture and death. Screeching metal and unimaginable suffering filled his mind, but he could make no sense of it or even recognize anything. It was more of a feeling than something he could see. It was only for a second, but it jolted him enough that he must have lost his balance. 

“Woah hey,” Williams’ voice snapped him out of it and he realized she was gripping his arm and had a hand on his chest to steady him. It was over as quickly as it had happened. “You ok?”

“Maybe I  _ will  _ sit down.” He slid out of her grasp and plopped back down on the bed and rubbed his forehead.

“What just happened?” Chakwas demanded as she moved to his side of the bed.

“I saw...I don’t know what I saw. War maybe...death...I don’t know.” There was silence among the three of them until Shepard had another nauseating thought. He looked at Chakwas. “Corporal Jenkins… he-”

“We have him,” she said. She touched his arm. He closed his eyes and sighed. A young Corporal named Richard Jenkins had joined Shepard and Alenko on the ground mission and was killed by aerial drones almost as soon as they’d hit the dirt. They were caught without cover, and Jenkins went down before they could take down their targets. Dr. Chakwas patted his arm a couple of times and exhaled.

“I suppose I’d better tell Captain Anderson you’re awake.” She headed off in the direction of her office, leaving Williams standing next to the bed. 

“I heard. I’m sorry about Jenkins,” she said.

He remembered the conversation he’d had with the Corporal just before they’d received the distress signal and felt a wave of guilt. Jenkins was young, enthusiastic, and itching to get out there. Shepard had done as much as he could to temper his excitement, but knew the feeling all too well. 

“I told him to keep his head down and listen and the mission would be easy.” If he had been a little more present, he might not have shared such a vulnerable thought, but it felt like a necessary admission of guilt, and Williams was the one standing there.

“It’s not your fault sir,” she said gently. He knew she was right, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He heard her sigh. “Never gets easier, does it?”

“No it doesn’t.” He looked at her and remembered what she had said when they first met. She had just lost her entire squad. He knew how that felt. “Things were pretty rough down there. I’m sorry about your unit.” She broke eye contact and looked at the floor.

“Thanks. Been a pretty shitty day all things considered, sir.” She turned away and headed back over to the bed where she’d been examined. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on over her bra. Her movements were stiff, and he could tell she was in some pain.

“Looks like you got pretty banged up. You okay?”

“Yeah well you should see the other guy.” Her barely there smile was humorless, and he returned it in kind. After a moment, they both looked away. He guessed that neither of them wanted to dwell on the harshest aspects of what had happened on Eden Prime. 

“So,” Shepard finally said, and pulled on his own shirt. “You stickin’ around for awhile?”

She nodded. “Captain Anderson said he’d work on transferring my assignment. I guess Lt. Alenko requested it.”

Shepard gave a thoughtful nod. “Good.” He sat and started to pull on his socks and boots. “It’ll be a big change from groundside so if you need anything -”

“I’m fine, sir. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you.” She straightened up a bit and nodded. “I should check out the duty roster.” A genuine smile formed across her lips, and he noticed that she was quite pretty. “I’m glad you’re okay, Commander.”

He nodded. “You too. Welcome to The Normandy, Chief.”

She smiled, saluted, and headed out, leaving Shepard alone. He glanced at the door to the back area of the med bay and knew that was where Jenkins’ body would be. “Dammit,” he cursed. Everything had gone wrong down there, and now that he could analyze it, he was as angry as Williams had been. Jenkins shouldn’t have died, and the colony should have never been under attack in the first place. 

“How’s our XO?” Anderson strolled into the med bay with Dr. Chakwas in tow. 

“Commander you really should be in bed.” Chakwas scolded.

“I said I’m fine,” he responded, a little more tersely than he’d meant to. He had never been a very good patient. He heard the doctor sigh in frustration.

Anderson sighed. “I’ve already heard from Alenko and Williams. Now I want you to tell me. What happened down there, Commander?”

Shepard reported everything exactly as it had happened. He was furious, and he let the captain know it. Williams was right. Why hadn’t the Alliance seen the attack coming? Did the Council know what kind of enemy they faced and kept it a secret? Who was Saren, the Turian responsible for the carnage, and what the hell were the Geth doing there? Anderson had simply sighed and nodded at the mention of Saren and he revealed that he was a long-time SpecTRe who had always had a ruthless streak. Whatever he was, Shepard didn’t care. He only cared about finding him. Anderson had already reported everything to the human Ambassador to the Galactic Council, Udina, and he had already raised a fuss. 

The fact that Saren was a Council SpecTRe made matters complicated, and Shepard wondered just how much trust they should be placing in the Council itself. Dead marines. Dead colonists. And Shepard was particularly troubled about what had happened with the beacon, what had happened to his mind and what it might mean. It was too scattered and vague and any time he tried to focus on an image it disappeared. It was there until he tried to grasp it and then it was gone. It was like nothing he’d ever felt before. He just knew he didn’t like it, and he knew they needed to narrow the focus down to one thing - Saren. 

___ 

Ashley had kept herself busy. She’d met with Alenko and Captain Anderson and some of the crew. They did their best to welcome her, but losing one of their own, especially on their first mission out was hard on them. She’d managed a shower and examined her injuries before reporting to the medical bay for treatment. Alenko had told her to go right there when they arrived. She didn’t know why she didn’t, and she didn’t want to think about how lucky she was to just be injured and not dead. Finally, Alenko had found her and ordered her to go get checked out. 

She was relieved that Shepard had awakened while she was in the medical bay. She had been worried, and she wasn’t sure she could deal with more guilt right now. If he hadn’t survived, it would have been her fault.

She didn’t have any official duties yet, but she had made her way down to the small armory room in the cargo bay and began weapons maintenance anyway. It was a small alcove hidden away off to the side and she was grateful for the privacy. She had always liked the task of weapons maintenance. She found the methodical disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling soothing. She could turn her brain off and not think about everything that had happened. She couldn’t let herself, or she knew she would scream.  _ Now is not the time to lose it _ , she thought. There were bigger, more important things happening, and she needed to understand why it had all happened. She jumped when an arc wrench clanged to the floor and then leaned on the table in front of her and closed her eyes. “Keep. It. Together.” she whispered, and swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

She had been informed by Captain Anderson that they were headed to The Citadel, and that she was to join him, Shepard, and Alenko for a meeting with Ambassador Udina and the Citadel Council. In just a few short hours she’d gone from a nothing grunt on a nowhere colony to someone about to meet with the most powerful people in the galaxy. She could barely adjust from the whiplash of it all. Still, she was interested in finally seeing The Citadel. She had only heard about it, and she wondered if it was really as big as it looked in the vids.

Satisfied that she had thoroughly gotten all of the weapons on the rack in flawless condition, she found her way to Normandy's bridge and stood just on the threshold. She wasn’t quite sure if she was allowed up there, but she really wanted to see their approach.

“You must be the newbie. Heard a lot about you.” The pilot turned just slightly to regard her. She wasn’t sure what he had heard. “Come on in. You already met Alenko. I’m Joker.”

Ash made her way into the space and stood just next to Alenko’s station. She smiled at him. “And you can fly a frigate? Okay. Where’s my martini?”

“I’m just here for backup. Joker here is the one with all the skills.”

“Flying sure. I make a shit martini though. You’re Williams right?”

“That’s me. Good to meet you, Joker.” She didn’t care that it probably wasn’t his real name.

“Likewise.” 

Shepard walked onto the bridge, and Joker turned to greet him. "Hey Commander," he said. "You're just in time. I was just about to bring this baby into the Citadel. See all that taxpayer money at work." He pointed to the window. “Should be coming up over there in just a minute.” 

Ashley went over to the window and looked out into the purple haze of the cloud nebula that thinned and eventually gave way to a stunning view of The Citadel. It was bigger than she had imagined, with a central body flanked by several gigantic arms. For a second it reminded her of the giant Geth ship they’d seen on Eden Prime.

“Wow,” Shepard said quietly behind her. He had gotten up close to her so that he could peer out the small window too. “That’s impressive.” He inched closer and put his hand on the wall to lean in. She wondered if he even realized how close he was, but it was close enough that she could smell a faint hint of soap from a recent shower. She tried not to let it distract her, but now that she had a minute where she wasn’t fighting for her life or worried about his survival, she thought it couldn’t hurt to let her thoughts stray for a moment to appreciate how he’d looked half dressed in the med bay. She blinked the thought away and focused her gaze at the window, and the massive space station outside of it.

“The vids don’t do it justice,” she said quietly. “Ever been there?”

Shepard shook his head. “No. Not much call for Alliance marines here I guess.” 

“Guess not. It’s amazing,” she said. “And look at that ship!” She practically pressed her face to the glass to view the gigantic ship sitting in the orbit of the Citadel.

“The Destiny Ascension,” Alenko said. “Biggest ship in the Citadel fleet.”

“Well size isn’t everything,” Joker said. 

“Why so touchy Joker?” She felt an inward cringe and she reminded herself she was not comfortably joking around the way she was used to with close friends from her squad. Everyone here was a perfect stranger. She suddenly felt very lonely.

“I’m just sayin’ you need firepower too,” he didn’t seem offended, which was encouraging. 

“Look at that thing!” She returned her attention to the ship. “It’s main gun could take out half the ships in the Alliance fleet.” 

“Good thing it’s on our side then,” Alenko said. 

Ashley focused then on the increasingly growing size of the space station as they approached, and she heard Joker speaking to the traffic controller as he was bringing them into dock.

“Too bad we don’t have any shore leave,” Joker said. “Bet I could get up to some trouble here.”

“We’ll send you a postcard.” Shepard finally pushed away from his position at the window next to Ashley. “Okay. Alenko, Williams, let’s get ready. Side-arms only.”

“You mean we shouldn’t roll in to meet the Council with a rocket launcher and grenades?” Ashley smiled.

“Tempting,” Shepard replied in a flat tone. “I’ll grab the Captain and meet you here in five.” 

“Yes sir.” Ashley went down to the cargo hold, put a pistol in her hip holster, and grabbed a dark grey Alliance Navy jacket she’d been given from the supplies on The Normandy. It was a good fit, just like the fatigues and short sleeve uniform shirt she was issued. She popped into the bathroom to check herself out in the mirror. She made sure the bun at the base of her head was neat and checked out her injuries. The bruising around her forehead cut was prominent, but the bump there had gone down and the scratch on her cheek didn’t look as angry. The cut on her lip hadn’t needed stitches thankfully, and the swelling was gone. All in all she didn’t look too bad. Dr. Chakwas was a miracle worker. She thought it was a good thing she wasn’t meeting the Council in her underwear though or they’d see just how beat up the rest of her was.

They disembarked through the airlock and made their way to the rapid transit that would take them to the Ambassador’s office. Ashley had been impressed by the sleek docking bay, but she was downright gobsmacked by the Presidium. An artificial blue sky and sunlight illuminated spotless, tree lined avenues of shiny metal walls and park areas. There was a lake, a goddamn lake in the middle of everything. No expense had been spared, obviously, and she realized it was still just a small section of the massive place. She tried not to look like a tourist rubbernecking at every new sight, but she couldn’t help but stare. She was seeing all kinds of new things. She had only seen Elcor in pictures and vids, and they looked like elephants with no trunks to her. Then there were the Hanar, who were basically just big pink floating jellyfish, and one seemed to be preaching some sort of religious rhetoric at an exasperated Turian C-Sec officer. She thought the whole experience so far was pretty wild.

They didn’t talk much on the way save for a few exchanges between Shepard and Anderson about what they planned to say to Ambassador Udina. Anderson revealed that he knew Saren, had even worked with him before, and he wasn’t at all surprised to find him in the middle of a genocidal coup. He didn’t elaborate on whatever their past work together was. Ashley wasn’t exactly sure why they had even included her in this meeting, but she was glad they did. She felt invested, and she wanted to see this whole thing through to the end if she could. She owed that much to the 212. 

After a few moments they were led into Ambassador Udina’s office, where he was already speaking with the Council’s three holograms. He motioned for Anderson to come in, and continued his conversation. From the look on his face, the conversation was not going well.

“This is an outrage,” Udina said. “The Council would step in if the geth had attacked a Turian colony.”

“The Turians don’t found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador.” The Salarian councilor sounded smarmy and dismissive, and Ashley decided he was too weasley for her liking. She didn’t know much about Salarians other than they were gangly and didn’t live very long. As she looked at the Asari and Turian ambassadors she realized her knowledge of alien cultures was pretty limited. 

“Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse.” the Asari continued. Ashley wanted to remind her that the only reason humans were so far out was that the Council wanted it that way. They were the new kids on the block, entering into a galactic community that had existed for thousands of years prior. Ash understood that. She knew humanity had a pretty steep learning curve when it came to alien relations. Hell, her grandfather had even fought Turians in the war just thirty years ago. But she thought so-called advanced civilizations like the Asari should probably try to treat people with a little more respect. So far, she wasn’t a fan of the Asari councilor either. 

‘What about Saren? You can’t just ignore a rogue SpecTRe. I demand action!” Ambassador Udina looked like there was a vein popping out of his forehead as he spoke. She got the sense he was a guy with a temper, maybe hard to work with, which she was sure didn’t endear him to the Council. 

“You don’t get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador.” The Turian Councilor’s snobbish remark dismissing the concerns rubbed Ashley the wrong way. Strike three, she thought.  _ Screw these assholes. _

“Citadel Security is investigating the charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, not before.” The Asari disconnected the call before Udina could even respond. 

Udina turned to Anderson. "Captain Anderson. I see you brought half your crew.”

“Just the ground team from Eden Prime in case you have any questions.”

“I have the mission reports. I assume they’re accurate?”

“They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience.”

“They were not happy about it. Saren’s their top agent. They don’t like him being accused of treason.”

“I don’t care that they don’t like it,” Shepard said. “Saren’s dangerous and if they would just listen-.” 

“It’s a little more complicated than-”

“Why?” Shepard crossed his arms. 

“Commander.” Udina shook his head. “The Council is in a difficult position.”

“I understand they would prefer not to admit that one of their own is a terrorist,” Anderson said. “It’s delicate politics.”

“I’m not interested in politics, Captain. And I’m sure as hell not gonna sit on my ass just because the Council doesn’t want to do anything. If they won’t stop Saren, we will.” Ashley wanted to believe him, and she wanted to be in the fight.

“Settle down, Commander. You’ve already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy with the SpecTRes.” Ashley glanced in Shepard’s direction. She didn’t know he was up for SpecTRe status. More and more she felt like she was getting pulled into things that were way above her pay grade. She wondered if she would ever get back to the days of just pointing and shooting. Maybe she didn’t want to. “The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to see if you could get the job done. Instead Nihlus is dead and the beacon got destroyed.”

“That’s Saren’s fault, not his.” Anderson stepped in to defend Shepard.

“If the Alliance hadn’t shown up Eden Prime would be a smoking crater now with who knows how many more dead.” The words flew out of her mouth in their defense before she could stop them. Udina shot her a look. “Sir.” She added, just a little too late. 

“What about the C-Sec investigation?” Anderson asked.

“We’d better hope it turns up some evidence to support our accusations, otherwise the Council might use this as a chance to keep you out of the SpecTRes.”

“I’m not worried about that right now,” Shepard said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t find any evidence. The investigation has been open for less than twelve hours. What could they possibly find? I’m wondering if they’ll even look that hard.” Ashley felt relieved that at least she wasn’t the only one who didn’t fully trust the Council. 

“I would advise not saying that too loudly around here, Shepard.” Udina sighed. “What a mess.”

“The important thing is stopping Saren,” Anderson said. “How do we do that?”

“My hands are tied, Captain. The hearing is in a half an hour. Shepard, you and the others can meet us in the Citadel Tower. Top level. I’ll make sure you have access and we’ll figure out the next steps afterward.” He turned to Anderson. “Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing.” 

Anderson nodded and turned to Shepard. “Why don’t you all stretch your legs for a bit, take a deep breath. There’s nothing we can do at the moment. I’ll see you at the hearing.”

Shepard nodded. “Sir-”

“You heard me, Commander.”

“Yes sir.” He motioned for Ashley and Alenko to follow him. “Let’s go.”

Ashley was still angry at the Council’s casual acceptance of the horrors on Eden Prime. She could still smell the burning flesh of the people there. They were good people with friends, families, spouses. The Council didn’t seem to care much about humans, and they had made that pretty clear. 

“This is bullshit,” Ashley said when they were finally out of the office.

“We should be out there right now tracking down Saren.” Shepard agreed.

“And every minute we waste with bureaucracy he gets a better head start.” Alenko added.

“This is why I hate politicians.” Ashley crossed her arms and stared up at the artificial sunlight. It warmed her face a little, but it was nothing like the sunlight on Eden Prime. Sunlight she would never see again from the surface of that planet. 

“Okay,” Alenko said. “We’re pissed. I get it. But let’s cool off and get our heads right before this hearing.” The Lieutenant’s voice was actually rather soothing, and Ashley felt her shoulders relax as she took a deep breath. He was right. They wouldn’t accomplish anything if they kicked in the door and started shooting, as tempting as that might be.

Ashley sighed. “Wonder where the nearest bar is.”  She realized just how much she really wanted a drink.

“You buyin’?” Shepard glanced at her.

“Left my credits on Eden Prime.” She shrugged and smiled at him, and while his lips didn’t form a smile, she thought she saw some sad amusement behind his tired blue eyes. His stubble was neat, but it was clear he hadn’t shaved in a day or two. She’d noticed that he carried himself with a casual confidence, and somehow seemed all at once both calm and slightly intense. They were good characteristics to have as a commanding officer, and she was glad that he seemed to know what he was going.

“Let’s make our way to the tower. I want to get there early.” Shepard was already walking toward the rapid transit. They followed, and Ash wondered again what in the hell she had gotten herself wrapped up in.


	4. Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard will do what he can to get evidence against Saren.

**Chapter 4: Evidence**

Shepard thought that the Council Chambers looked a lot like some kind of grand cathedral. The space was beautiful, with high ceilings, rays of light beaming down from lofty windows, and impeccable cherry tree dotted landscaping. He’d never been anything close to religious, but there was a feeling of divine significance that the setting inspired. He was sure that was no accident. The stairs that led up to the main staging area were a steep climb, and Shepard got the impression this was meant to remind whoever was ascending them that the people at the top were more important than he was. 

But the Council was important, he had to admit. They were the ones taking on the role of governing an entire galaxy and while he appreciated the scope of their responsibilities, he only cared about one thing. Finding Saren. He was surprised to find out they had actually invited Saren to attend the hearing. He wasn’t there in person of course. That would have made it too easy, and Shepard might have simply shot him between the eyes before they could even begin. Instead, Saren’s hologram loomed large over the Council and everyone else. 

They pleaded their case, but the testimony of the dock worker was thrown out, and it was no surprise that the Council’s C-sec investigation hadn’t turned up anything damning. Admittedly, they were short of the kind of evidence Shepard knew they needed, but Shepard knew it in his gut that Saren had done this. Saren was on Eden Prime. Saren had brought the Geth and killed all of those people and done who knows what with the beacon. The hearing felt like an exercise, a tedious, mandatory meeting that stood in the way of the end of the Council’s workday. They’d seemed almost bored, and more than once he’d had to temper his reactions to their questions. Flying off the handle wasn’t going to help anything, though he supposed his chances of joining the SpecTRes were diminishing rapidly with every brusque word out of his mouth. 

Saren seemed very satisfied with himself. He had an answer to every accusation, every piece of the story laid out by both Anderson and Shepard. His assertion that he hadn’t been anywhere near Eden Prime was the kind of smug that made Shepard want to break his arms. His contempt for Captain Anderson was obvious, and Shepard surmised that there was a larger story there, one he would certainly be asking about later. The Council didn’t even acknowledge Alenko and Williams, and therefore didn’t bother asking them any questions at all. Anderson asked for an extension on the C-sec investigation and was flatly denied. Desperate, the Captain had even mentioned the vision Shepard had received from the beacon, but Shepard knew that would fall on deaf ears too. He couldn’t blame the Council for that because he didn’t know what to make of it himself. The whole charade took less than twenty minutes, and ended with the Council dismissing the charges officially, and practically shooing them out of the chamber.

The group minus Udina had barely descended the bottom of the stairs when Shepard’s head started going through their options. “What now?” He asked no one in particular. Captain Anderson answered.

“I don’t know.” He conceded.

“We need evidence,” Alenko said.

“We’re supposed to believe that C-sec didn’t come up with anything at all?” Shepard crossed his arms. He didn’t want to be skeptical. The situation was not exactly how he’d wanted his first encounter with the Council to go. 

“Don’t suppose we could go to C-Sec and just ask?” Williams shrugged.

“Forget it.” Anderson said. “They won’t talk.”

The four of them stood there in silence. They were stuck. He glanced at each of his companions. Anderson and Alenko both looked deep in thought, and Williams seemed to be staring off at the cherry trees with a somewhat sad expression. He knew next to nothing about Williams. He hadn’t had a chance to read her file or even speak with her much, but he had been impressed with how she’d handled herself on Eden Prime. He could empathize at least in part with what she had gone through with her squad, and she seemed to be holding it together better than most marines would. No doubt the last ten hours or so had turned her entire world on its head. 

He heard his omni-tool chirp, and opened up the message that arrived. His eyes narrowed and Alenko must have noticed. 

“What is it?” Alenko asked. 

“Message,” He said. “Just says ‘Chora’s Den, private booth. I have what you need. GV.’” 

“What’s Chora’s Den?” Ashley asked.

‘Who’s GV?” Alenko added.

Shepard took a subtle glance around at their surroundings, but as far as he could tell, they were the only people in the chambers at the moment aside from a large, strange insect-like creature that appeared to be performing maintenance on a control panel. He did a quick double take in its direction and couldn’t decide if it was a living thing or a synthetic drone of some kind. He knew there must be cameras in the chambers, and now he wondered who might be on the other side of them. As far as he knew, the people other than The Council who knew about this hearing were all standing right next to him. 

“Chora’s Den is a crummy bar in the Wards,” Anderson said. “I have no idea who could have sent that.”

“Maybe someone in C-Sec?,” Williams added.

“I think we should check it out,” Shepard said. “If this has something to do with Saren, I need to know.”

Anderson nodded. “Agreed. But be careful there, Shepard. I’ve heard some nasty things about Chora’s Den being a front for gang activity.”

“You think it’s a setup?” Shepard asked.

“I wouldn’t rule it out. But we also can’t afford to ignore this. Go and see what this GV character wants, but keep an eye on your six.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll head back to Udina’s office. And Shepard. I want an update the moment you have one.”

“Yes sir. Let’s go,” Shepard said. He headed for the nearest transit hub, and Alenko and Williams followed close behind. They piled into the compact sky car when it arrived, and then it took off at a speed where everything out the window was a blur. He hadn’t felt like they were moving much at all, but in less than a minute they had pulled into their stop in the Wards. “Be ready for anything,” Shepard said, as they exited the vehicle. “Someone here knows who we are and what we’re doing.” 

Chora's Den looked exactly like any of the other strip clubs on Earth, just with more Asari dancers. It was dimly lit and sexy electronic music pounded. It was early, but the dance floor was still packed. The concept of time on any space station was always skewed, and Shepard knew it was no different here. As they entered, he scanned the room. There were human and Asari dancers, half naked and spinning on poles on the elevated stage. Some were giving lap dances in dark corners. All of them looked fairly bored with their tasks. 

“A million light years from where humanity began and somehow every strip club in the galaxy is exactly the same?” Ashley said. “I can’t decide if that’s funny or sad.”

“You don’t think they’re here for the food, Chief?” Alenko smiled, and Shepard heard Williams offer back a scoffing chuckle.

Shepard wasn’t exactly sure who he was looking for, but he decided to make his way toward the back of the club where he assumed the private area was. He wound his way through the crowded dance floor, hoping they would be less obvious than they would be wandering around the tables. After a moment a barely dressed Asari slinked up to him and slid her arms around his neck. She brought her face close and smiled. 

“Will you let me dance for you?” she asked simply, and started to run her hand down his chest. Dancers often worked the crowd, and though private dances weren’t usually something he was interested in, he had a brief moment of being struck silent by her dark blue eyes. Shepard understood the allure of the Asari to humans, and while he knew they were generally over-sexualized by his own species, he had to admit that they’d caught his attention a handful of times. He’d interacted with only a couple in his career, usually in combat situations and he’d heard stories about their legendary, highly trained commandos. 

He shook his head. “I don’t have time. Sorry.” He started to move away from her, but she pressed her skin to his chest and brought her lips so close to his ear that her breath gave him a pleasant shiver. She smelled like vanilla, and Shepard was a little amused at how Williams had been right on the nose about all strip clubs being the same. 

“I’m here to fetch you, Commander. Follow me.” She slipped off of him, took his hand and started leading him in another direction. “Bring your friends,” she cooed. Shepard glanced behind him at Alenko and Williams. Alenko’s eyes were slightly wider than normal, and Williams had a questioning eyebrow raised. He tilted his head slightly to indicate they should follow.

She led him through the crowd and passed the bouncer into the private area of the club that was lit only with soft red and blue lights. Eventually, they reached a high backed booth where a Turian was sitting alone. There was a drink in front of him that he looked like he hadn’t touched. He nodded and they approached. 

“Thank you, Aralia” The Turian said. 

“Pleasure’s all mine.” She winked at Shepard and got close to him again. “Offer is still on the table for later.” 

“I appreciate that.” She smiled, turned and walked away, and Shepard followed with his eyes for just a second before turning to the Turian. “Quite a welcome. Who are you?”

“Commander,” he greeted. “My name is Garrus Vakarian. I was the C-Sec officer in charge of the investigation into Saren.” He motioned to the table. “Have a seat.” All three of them did but not before Shepard took a suspicious glance around. 

“How do you know who I am?” Shepard demanded.

“I knew you were coming.” He looked over at Shepard’s companions. “Forgive the cloak and dagger routine. I had to make sure you weren’t followed.”

“Okay, fine.” The Turian hadn’t answered his question. “You said you had something for me.” 

“Right to the point then. Good.” He leaned forward. “It took all of ten seconds after you met with the Council for them to terminate the investigation into Saren and lock me out of my files. Officially it’s over, or at least they think it is.”

“Come across anything I should know about?” Shepard wasn’t sure if he could trust Vakarian, but he noticed that both Alenko and Williams also seemed to be casually keeping eyes on their surroundings. At least he could trust them. 

“Saren’s a SpecTRe. Most of his activities are classified. I couldn’t find anything solid in time for your hearing, but I know he’s up to something. Like you humans say I feel it in my gut.” He sighed. “I tried to stall the Council, ask them for more time, but they wouldn't even speak to me.”

“You said it’s not over. What do you mean?” Alenko asked.

“There’s one more lead I have to follow up on.”

“Do you have evidence or do you have a lead? There’s a difference.” Shepard said. He leaned in, anxious to hear what Vakarian had to say. If there was evidence, he needed it and he would do whatever it took to get it. And if there was a way to find evidence, he needed to know how.

Garrus leaned forward too. “I came from a visit with a Dr. I know in the Wards. When I got there, she was being harassed by a couple of thugs. She told me that a few days ago a Quarian came in with a gunshot wound. At first she wouldn’t say anything, but then she asked the doctor how she could get in touch with the Shadowbroker.”

“Who’s the Shadowbroker?” Shepard asked.

“Information broker. He buys and sells intelligence. He’s not the kind of person you want to interact with unless you  _ really  _ have to.”

“It sounds like this Quarian was desperate.” Shepard knew his voice was sounding impatient, but he had never been a particularly patient man when it came to dancing around a topic. 

“She wanted to exchange information about the Geth for her safety.” He finally sipped his drink. “The doctor I know put her in touch with Fist, who runs this fine establishment.”

“Could have fooled me,” Shepard said. “Seems like you’re the one in charge around here.”

“I have friends here and from time to time they pass along information. That’s all. Those were Fist’s thugs at the clinic. Fist works for the Shadowbroker, or at least he did, but now he works for Saren and the Shadowbroker isn’t too happy about it.”

“You seem pretty well informed,” Williams said. She hadn’t even tried to hide the suspicion in her voice. 

Vakarian looked at her. “I...persuaded one of the thugs to give me some information. And I heard the Shadowbroker hired a Krogan bounty hunter to take care of Fist.”

“Why would this Fist guy betray his employer? This Shadowbroker sounds like someone you don’t want to piss off.” Ash said.

“I don’t know. But Saren must have made him quite an offer.” He sipped his drink again.

“So you’re saying the Quarian is walking into a trap.” Alenko observed.

“Because she has evidence that could implicate Saren,” Shepard said. 

“Exactly. I don’t know where the Quarian is. That’s why we’re here. We need to talk to Fist before this bounty hunter comes sniffing around and shoots our only lead in the face.”

“Commander we have to find that Quarian and get her someplace safe.” Alenko met Shepard’s eyes and they nodded.

“Okay. Time we pay Fist a visit," Shepard said. “Where is he?”

Garrus nodded toward a dark hallway at the back of the club. “His private area is back there. I know he’s here or there wouldn’t be a Krogan bodyguard standing outside the door.”

Shepard glanced, but there was no way to see down the winding hallway from their position. “I’m guessing we can’t just knock.”

“I’ll take care of the bodyguard.” Garrus stood. “Stay here. I’ll radio for you to join.” Garrus got up and disappeared down the dimly lit hallway. 

“How do you want to play this?” Alenko asked.

“Think we can trust him?” Williams added.

“Maybe, maybe not. Just stay sharp. I can’t figure he would give us all that just to walk us into a trap.” He looked at Williams. She nodded. Shepard had always had pretty good instincts about who was trustworthy and who wasn’t, but he also hadn’t ever been at the heart of deep political intrigue and secretive back room meetings about powerful shadowy intelligence brokers. His gut was telling him Vakarian was on the level, but he appreciated Williams’ continued skepticism.

An angry looking Krogan stomped out from the hallway and into the night club. He clomped over the bar in the middle of the dance floor, sat on a stool there, and motioned for the bartender.

“Shepard,” he heard Vakarian’s voice in his earpiece. “Head back here.”

Shepard hoped it didn’t look too obvious that three uniformed people were heading back through the hallway to Fist’s office, but he supposed there was no way to avoid that. When they arrived at the door, Garrus was waiting. 

“How did you deal with the bodyguard?” Shepard asked.

“He has an outstanding charge that I promised to clear out if he moved aside.”

“Just like that huh?” Ashley asked. 

“Let’s just say it’s been a long day.” Garrus punched in a code to the console and the door hissed open. He pulled out his pistol, but kept it at his side. Shepard did the same, and he heard his companions follow suit. He had no idea what was in that office waiting for them, but it was the only lead they had and he wasn’t going to let it get away from him. 

The office was spacious and sparsely furnished with leather couches, dim lighting, and some low volume music playing. There was a large desk in the middle of the room, and a man standing at it with his back toward them. He was looking at his omni-tool.

“I thought I said I was busy,” he said and he turned around. His eyes widened. “What the fuck is-?” 

“We have some questions for you, Fist.” Garrus said. “Answer and we’ll leave, don’t, and...well we won’t leave.” He cocked his pistol and Shepard wondered for a moment if maybe the Turian was going to execute this guy anyway. 

Fist glanced at each of them and then reached toward his desk to the pistol sitting there, but he stopped when he heard the clicks of four different pistols trained on him. When he turned back around it was just in time to get Garrus’ knuckles to his nose. He groaned and fell to his knees. “Awwuuugh Fuck!”

“We can do it the hard way if you insist.” Fist took a moment to notice that his nose was bleeding and then looked up at Garrus with anger on his face.

“You might start by telling me who the fuck you are, asshole.” He looked at Shepard and the others and scoffed and shook his head. “Alliance? What is this, some kind of joke? What don't you like the drinks here or something?”

Shepard put his pistol away and stepped forward. He grabbed Fist by the collar and roughly hoisted him up off of the floor and leaned him against his desk. Fist winced, but then straightened up when he realized Shepard wasn’t going to hit him.

“We’re looking for a Quarian who came to you for help,” Shepard said. 

“What Quarian?” For a moment he seemed genuinely confused. It occurred to Shepard that Vakarian’s intel might not actually be good, and they were shaking down this guy for no reason, but he was pretty sure Fist was lying. He had a nasty scar down the length of his face. This was a guy who had pissed people off before. Shepard looked him in the eye.

“I’m not gonna ask again,” Shepard said quietly. Each moment they wasted with Fist playing dumb, the Quarian could be in danger. 

“Fuck you,” Fist said. Garrus pushed the barrel of his gun to the side of Fist’s head. He grunted and then looked at Shepard. After a moment, realizing there was nothing he could do to defend himself, he shook his head and sighed. “Okay okay fine. She’s meeting with some guys in an alley not too far from here. Center Wards. There, you happy?” Fist spit out some blood and growled in frustration. 

“Give me the exact location.” Shepard demanded. “Now.”

“Fine!” He pulled up some coordinates on his omni-tool. “They’re meeting soon. If you go now you can probably make it. It’s in a warehouse here. Now please get the fuck out of my office.”

Garrus lowered his pistol. “Thanks for your cooperation.” 

They all backed out, and Shepard kept his eyes on him as he did to make sure he didn’t reach for his weapon again. Fist wiped his mouth with his sleeve.“Hey, if you see my bodyguard out there tell him he’s fucking fired.”

“Well that went well,” Williams said as they made their way quickly down the hallway. 

“What happens if that guy goes to C-Sec to complain?” Alenko asked. Shepard got the sense that he didn’t approve of Vakarian’s vigilante style.

“He won’t go to C-Sec. Trust me.” Garrus said.

“Noticed you didn’t mention the bounty hunter,” Shepard said.

“Don’t worry,” Vakarian said. “Whatever he gets, he definitely has it coming.” 

\----

As they raced to their location, Ashley hoped that they weren’t too late, and she wondered what they might find when they got there. Her body was thrumming with adrenaline, anxious for whatever possible evidence they might find. She tried not to let her desire for it cloud her judgement about her surroundings. She needed to focus. She still wasn’t sure how much they could trust the Turian, and she hoped she wasn’t the only one anticipating some kind of possible betrayal. She didn’t suppose she was. She had a good feeling about both Shepard and Alenko and their instincts. For a moment she felt a little thrill at just being along for the ride. 

They jogged through tight corners, passing cargo crates and back entrances to businesses. There were more than a few unsavory looking humans and non-humans dotting the area who were probably up to their own secret dealings. The area was a lot dirtier than the Presidium, and she had the feeling quite a few nasty things had happened in these dark corners of the Wards. She tried to focus on how it might feel to get justice for the people killed on Eden Prime. Justice for the 212. 

"Through here," Garrus said as he drew his pistol and took cover on the side of a warehouse doorway. Ashley and the others pulled their weapons as well, and when she heard the sound of a small explosion from inside, her heart started pounding with the anticipation of a fight. Vakarian didn’t wait to hit the button to open the door, and the four of them poured inside and scattered, weapons at the ready. 

It was a large space, full of cargo crates and other shipping supplies. Her first thought was to find some cover, which thankfully was easy to come by. Within a couple of seconds they had each hurried in to find a position and assess the area. Ashley could smell the smoke. It burned her throat a little, and she noticed that a Quarian woman was hidden behind another crate as two Turians and three Salarians hacked and coughed in the cloud. 

Ashley watched as the Quarian popped out of cover quickly to fire on the group. She hit one Salarian square in the chest and he dropped. 

“Drop your weapons!” Vakarian yelled from his cover. He was pointing his pistol at one of the Turians, who looked shocked to see anyone else there. She wasn’t surprised when the Turian didn’t comply and instead raised his weapon at Vakarian to fire. Vakarian shot him in the head without hesitation, and he fell to the ground. The remaining three scattered and fired in the direction of the newcomers as they raced to cover. Shepard raised his pistol and took the other Turian out with one shot to the chest. Alenko glowed blue next to Ashley and then one of the salarians screamed as his feet were lifted from the ground and he went slamming into the wall with a sickening crunch. Ashley popped her head out to fire and hit the other Salarian in the shoulder. He yelled and staggered back against the wall, leaving a smear of green blood there. He fired off a frantic couple of shots that ricocheted close to Ashley’s face on the crate, and she ducked just in time. She heard another couple of shots and then the Salarian whined in pain. She looked up just time to see him slide down the wall in front of the Quarian, who turned with her weapon drawn toward them. 

“Easy. We’re here to help,” Shepard had already put his weapon away. The Quarian noticed the rest of them lowering their own weapons and after a moment, she tentatively lowered her own. “Everyone ok?” Shepard asked. He glanced over at Alenko, who was holding his left arm.

"You're hit, Lieutenant." Ashley said. She went to him and touched the bleeding area to examine. 

Alenko winced. "I'm all right, Chief," he said. "Ricochet just grazed me."

Shepard nodded at Alenko and then moved to the Quarian. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Fine, thank you" she said. Her voice was slightly distorted by her face mask, but Ashley thought she sounded young. "Who are you?"

"We're with the Alliance. We need to talk to you about the Geth." The Quarian stiffened her stance again, and even though she couldn't see her face, Ashley thought she seemed a little afraid.

"We're not going to hurt you," Garrus reassured her. "We just want to talk."

She seemed to relax. "Well you did save my life," she said and shrugged. "I suppose I have a chance to repay you."

"We should get her somewhere safe," Ashley said. Alenko had removed his jacket and was dispensing medi-gel onto his superficial wound. The bleeding had already stopped, but there was a tear and a rust colored stain on his uniform.

Shepard nodded. "Let's take her to the ambassador's office." Shepard turned to Alenko. “You need a doc?”

Alenko shook his head. “I’m good Commander. Lead the way.” 

"Those were Saren's men," Garrus said to Shepard.

"I knew that asshole would set me up." the Quarian said. "Dammit!"

"What's your name?" Shepard asked.

"Tali," she replied. "Tali’Zorah nar Rayya."

After their brief introductions they set off for the transit hub. It was a tight fit in the vehicle and Ashley was practically sitting on Shepard’s lap. Their new acquaintance, Tali, was practically sitting on hers. She was close enough that Ashley got a chance to look at the intricate design of the suit she wore. She knew all Quarians wore something similar, but she wondered what they looked like under them. So far, Ashley had only been able to see faintly glowing eyes under the purple glow of Tali’s face mask. Shepard spent a moment trying to get Tali to start talking, but she insisted they get to their destination before anything. Ashley couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say.

\----

The group convened in Udina’s office and Tali explained that she was on her pilgrimage, a right of passage for young Quarians where they leave their people and go in search of something meaningful to bring back to their society. Shepard had heard very little about Quarians in general. They were rather self-isolated. They had no homeworld for the last few centuries after the Geth drove them off, instead traveling the stars indefinitely in an immense flotilla of ships called The Migrant Fleet. They wore self contained environmental suits to protect themselves as they were more susceptible than most to illness.

“How did you end up getting involved in this?” Udina asked.

“During my travels I began hearing reports of Geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the Geth have never ventured beyond the veil.” Tali shrugged. “I was curious. I tracked a patrol of Geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed it’s memory core. If you’re quick, careful, and lucky small caches of data can still be saved. Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged something from its audio banks.”

Tali brought up her omni-tool and punched in a few codes. Soon after, an audio began to play. 

"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit." There was no mistaking Saren’s voice, and it chilled Shepard. He had just admitted to being on Eden Prime and tampering with the beacon. 

“That’s Sarens voice,” Anderson echoed Shepard’s thoughts. “This proves he was involved in the attack.”

“What’s this conduit he’s looking for?” Shepard asked.

“The conduit must have something to do with the beacon,” Anderson answered. “Maybe it’s some kind of Prothean technology. Like a weapon.”

“Wait,” Tali said. “There’s more. Saren wasn’t working alone.” She brought up her omni-tool again and played Saren’s message one more time, but this time she let the recording continue.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers." It was a second voice, a woman’s and Shepard didn’t know who it could be. 

“I don’t recognize that other voice,” Udina said.

“And what the hell are Reapers?” Shepard asked. He turned to Tali.

“According to the memory core the Reapers were a hyper advanced machine race that existed Fifty thousand years ago. The Reapers hunted the Protheans to extinction and then they vanished…” Tali must have noticed everyone staring at her. “At least that’s what the Geth believe.”

Shepard caught flashes again of the images he’d seen in the beacon. He wished he could make sense of what he was seeing and feeling. Was he witnessing the apocalyptic end of the Prothean race? Was that the history that had been stored in the beacon? And if the beacon held the secret to the Conduit, did he have the answer hidden somewhere in his head? He was jostled from his thoughts by Udina.

“The council is just going to love this,” Udina sighed.

“Whatever the Council ends up thinking about the Reapers, this audio proves Saren is a traitor.” Anderson said.

They all agreed that the Council needed to hear the audio right away, and they set about planning for it and letting Udina make the necessary arrangements. Shepard was glad to have a moment to talk to Tali, who as it turned out was a brilliant engineer. More importantly, she was an expert on the Geth, and seemed experienced in taking them out in combat. She would be useful, and Shepard wondered if there might be some way they could bring her into their mission. But first, they had to deal with the Council. 


	5. The SpecTRe

**Chapter 5: The SpecTRe**

During this meeting, the Council seemed a little more subdued in their attitude, Ashley thought. She and Alenko, and Tali and Vakarian hung back from the main podium, listening intently to the recording. Ashley watched the Council as they listened to Saren and the other voice, and she could see the obvious disappointment on their faces. She couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied that the tables had turned.

"You wanted proof?" Udina said smugly. "There it is."

The Turian councilor looked down and shook his head. "This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his SpecTRe status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." he said. 

"I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren.” The Asari councilor sounded sad. "Matriarch Benezia."

"Who is she?" Anderson demanded.

The Asari looked at him. "Matriarchs are powerful Asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people. Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic, and she has many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I’m more interested in the Reapers," the salarian mused. “What do you know about them?”

“Only what was extracted from the Geth memory core,” Shepard explained. “They wiped out the Protheans fifty thousand years ago and then they vanished. The Geth think the Reapers are gods, and that Saren is the prophet for their return.”

“We think the conduit is the key to bringing them back,” Anderson said. “Saren’s searching for it. It’s why he attacked Eden Prime.”

“Do we even know what this conduit is?” The Salarian asked.

“Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers. That’s bad enough,” Shepard added. Ashley hung on every word and was silently praying they would listen, but she had to admit it all sounded insane. She hoped that Shepard could be convincing when he needed to be. 

"Listen to what you're saying," the Turian said. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be. Where did the Reapers go, why did they vanish? How come we’ve found no trace of their existence? If they were real we’d have found something." Ashley’s frustration roiled inside of her. For a brief moment she thought they had the Council, but it turned out they were better at maneuvering than she had anticipated.  _ Anything to avoid the truth _ , she thought. But what if they were right? She wasn’t sure what to think of the idea that a race of sentient machines wiped out galactic life 50,000 years ago. If it was true what did that mean for them now? What would happen if they did return? The thought was terrifying, and Ashley thought at the very least it was a possibility worth the Council’s consideration. They were being real asses about it.

"I tried to warn you about Saren and you wouldn’t accept the truth," Shepard said. He sounded more forceful and frustrated, and his voice carried through the chamber with a slight echo. "Don't make the same mistake again."

"This is different," the Asari spoke to Shepard. "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he’s using the Geth to search for the conduit, but we don’t really know why."

“The Reapers are obviously just a myth commander.” The Salarian was smug again. “A convenient lie to cover Saren’s true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the Geth to his will.”

“Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life,” The Turian said. “He no longer has the rights or resources of a SpecTRe. The council has stripped him of his position.”

"That isn't good enough!" Udina yelled. His voice bellowed through the empty hall. "You know Saren is hiding out in the traverse. Send your fleet in!"

"A fleet cannot track down one man," the salarian sounded truly annoyed with Udina's tone.

“A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region, keep the Geth from attacking our colonies.” Udina’s voice hadn’t lowered in volume, and he added large physical gestures to his argument.

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems," the Turian added. “We won’t be dragged into a galactic conflict over a few dozen human colonies.” Ashley was angry, but deep down she knew the Council was making sense from a tactical standpoint. She was feeling emotional about the human colonies, but she gathered that the Council had to keep a much bigger picture in mind. Still, she hated it, and it was telling to her just how much of a priority humans were to them.

Udina turned away from the Council and cursed under his breath. After a few seconds of unbearable silence, Ashley heard Shepard’s voice again.

"We can track Saren down." Shepard said. He stepped forward. “We have the resources and the ship to be able to do it.” Ashley exchanged a glance with Alenko. He seemed to be just as curious about what would happen next. 

There was a long pause where everyone seemed to be looking back and forth between the Council and Shepard, and finally the Asari nodded and spoke. “The Commander is right. There is a way to stop Saren that doesn’t require fleets or armies.”

“No.” The Turian barked. “It’s too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the SpecTRes.” Ashley felt goosebumps raise on her arms. She knew that if the Council made Shepard a SpecTRe she would be witnessing a historic moment for humanity. More than that, she’d heard that SpecTRes had more flexibility in their work, fewer regs to follow, and that meant that maybe Shepard could focus entirely on Saren. The idea of hunting him down made her blood pump in her veins.

"It was a Turian SpecTRe that betrayed the council and a human who exposed him.” Shepard’s voice rang strong in the chamber with a mixture of force and accusation. “This is the best option, Councilors. You don't have to send a fleet into the Traverse, and the Ambassador gets his human SpecTRe. Everybody’s happy.” Shepard looked at Udina and then at Anderson. They both nodded. 

The three council members looked at each other for a moment. The tension in the air was strong and Ash’s stomach fluttered just a little in anticipation. The council finally nodded at one another and turned back to face the group.

"Commander Shepard," the Asari addressed him. "Step forward." He did. He looked up at the council as the Asari continued. "It is the decision of the council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel."

The salarian continued. "SpecTRes are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle - those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

“SpecTRes are an ideal,” The Asari continued. “A symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self reliance. They are the right hand of the Council. Instruments of our will.”

“SpecTRes bear a great burden.” The Turian added. “They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold.”

The Asari actually let a small smile spread across her face. “You are the first human SpecTRe, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species.” Ashley fought a small smile and tried to remain stoic, but she was excited to be witnessing this moment. She knew humanity had been pushing for it for decades, and the moment was finally here. She didn’t know much about Shepard, but she had a feeling he was the right man for the job.

Shepard glanced at Anderson with what Ashley thought was almost a hint of a smile. Anderson nodded, and Shepard turned back to the Council. He nodded, then looked at a loss for words before he said “Thank you Councilors. It’s an honor.”

“We’re sending you into the traverse after Saren. He’s a fugitive from justice so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him.” The Salarian nodded.

Shepard nodded. “Any idea where I can start looking?”

“We will forward any relevant files to Ambassador Udina,” the Turian said.

“This meeting of the Council is adjourned.” The Asari said. The council members exited, leaving the entire group standing below the dais in silence. Ashley glanced at Alenko. Both seemed to be sharing the same wide-eyed disbelief at what had just happened. 

Anderson approached Shepard and shook his hand. “Congratulations, Commander. How do you feel?”

“I feel like I’m ready to go get Saren.” Ashley smiled at that. She appreciated his focus despite the gravity of what had just happened. And the Council had said “by any means necessary.” Ashley hoped that meant a bullet between Saren’s eyes.

“We have a lot of work to do, Commander,” Udina said. He wasn’t even looking at Shepard any more. “You’ll need a ship, a crew… Anderson! Come with me. I’ll need your help to set all this up.” He stalked off without even so much as a look at any of them. Anderson sighed.

“I’ll go with him,” he said. “This will take some time. For now, let the crew know they have twelve hours of leave if they want to take it.” Anderson smiled at Shepard. He looked proud, and somehow a little sad. “That goes for you too, Shepard. You just became the very first human SpecTRe. Go and have a goddamn drink.”

“Thank you sir, but I-”

“Consider it an order, Commander.” Anderson turned to Ashley and Alenko. “That goes for you too.”

“Yes sir,” Ashley responded.

“Thank you sir,” Alenko nodded.

Anderson nodded at Tali and Vakarian and walked off.

“I thought the ambassador would have been more grateful,” Tali said. Ashley scoffed in agreement.

“Until we find Saren I haven’t done anything,” Shepard replied. 

Vakarian said he had some things to take care of, and would take Tali to C-Sec for her own protection. She objected at first, but finally relented and agreed to go. Ashley shook both of their hands and she thought it felt strange to have Vakarian’s leathery claw in her own hand. After a moment it was just the three Alliance soldiers looking at each other.

“Congratulations, Commander,” Ashley said. 

“Well done, sir. Glad I was here for this” Alenko echoed. 

“Thanks.” He shook both of their hands. 

“So are we getting that drink or what?” Ashley smiled at him.

“Oh yeah.” He smiled back, only this time he didn’t look quite as exhausted as he had earlier.

\----

Shepard had radioed Navigator Pressly to give the news about leave. He was sure the crew would appreciate some time to explore The Citadel. Alenko had found them a dive bar in the Wards and the three Alliance soldiers had made their way to it. It was a distinctly human looking spot that looked like one of the old types of English pubs back on Earth. Shepard noticed that the clientele was mostly human, and some of them wore Alliance uniforms. They found a dark wood booth while Alenko went to get their beers. Shepard was feeling fairly overwhelmed by what happened. Less than twenty minutes ago he had become the first human SpecTRe. On one hand it was a great achievement for humanity, an epic milestone that he was proud to be a part of. And on the other hand, his cynicism wondered if the Council only did it because they expected him to fail. 

“Sir?” He looked up at Williams, who had an expectant look on her face. Apparently she had been talking.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “What was the question?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Well I was asking how you were feeling, but you were staring off into space so I suppose I can figure it out.” 

“It’s been a long day, Williams.”

“That’s an understatement, Sir.” She was smiling, but he thought it looked forced. Her eyes didn’t smile when her full lips did. He met her eyes for just a moment before she blinked and looked away. “So, what’s it like being the first human SpecTRe?” Her voice now carried a vaguely playful lilt to it that he found sort of endearing.

“I’ll let you know when it hits me,” he replied. 

Alenko returned with three beer bottles and put them in front of each of them as he sat. “This round’s on me,” he said. He held up the bottle, prompting the others to do the same. “To Commander Shepard, the galaxy’s first human SpecTRe.”

“Hell yeah,” Williams said. They all clinked the bottles together and took a sip. It was nice and refreshing, but Shepard suddenly wished he had something a little stronger. Williams motioned for a server as he passed.

“Can we get three shots of whiskey please? Thanks.” She turned back to the two of them and smiled. This time, Shepard thought it looked genuine. It brightened up her face for a moment, chasing away the subtle cloud of sadness that had darkened her expressions since the moment they’d met. 

“You read my mind, Williams.” 

She shrugged at him. “Like you said it’s been a long day.”

He wasn’t really sure what to say to them, and they all sat in silence for a moment drinking their beers. Finally, Alenko spoke.

“So how does being a SpecTRe work with regards to the Alliance? I’m a little confused about the chain of command here.”

“And Udina mentioned a ship,” Ashley continued. “Does that mean you have to leave The Normandy?”

“I don’t know. But as far as I’m concerned, I work for The Alliance,” Shepard said. “If the Council has an issue with that they can take it up with the brass.” He did wonder though what would come next. He thought of the possibility that he might receive conflicting orders from the Alliance and the Council and wondered what he might do in that situation. “As long as we’re working on finding Saren I’ll work with whoever I need to.”

The shots arrived at the table and the server placed one each in front of them before leaving. They held them up, and then Williams spoke quietly.

“To making that bastard pay.” She shot hers back without waiting for the others. This toast, Shepard knew was really just for her and her squad. He knew the look in Williams' eyes. He’d stared at that same pain in the mirror for a long time after he lost his own squad on Akuze. He silently took his own shot and thought of them. 

“Well get him,” Alenko said. 

“So,” Williams said. “I’m not sure how it will all work and what kinds of things will be shaken up, but…” She paused and then straightened up to look him in the eye. “I’d like to be with you when you track down Saren.” 

“Me too.” Alenko added. 

Shepard nodded. “If I have any say in it, you’re with me. You’ve both proven yourselves beyond a doubt as far as I’m concerned.” He sighed. “I still feel like we should be out there right now, not sitting drinking beer.”

“I wish there was something we could do while we wait,” Alenko said.

“More shots?” Shepard joked in a flat tone, though he wasn’t feeling particularly amused. He hated sitting on his hands while there was work to be done. It was rare that he’d had to deal with any kind of politics or delays or maneuvering. Usually all that work had already been done by the time he was involved in a mission. Even his body felt restless. He looked up just as the server brought over three more shots of whisky. Shepard looked at him and then at Alenko. “Just how loud did I say that?”

“These are on the house,” the server said. “I overheard earlier and it sounds like you’re celebrating something big. Enjoy.”

They thanked him and he left and they each held up their shots again. “Why not?” Shepard said. 

“Why not?” Williams responded. They all clinked their glasses and shot it back. 

Shepard heard an audible growl come from the direction of Williams’ stomach, and she touched her hand to it and said “jeez” quietly.

Alenko looked at Ashley. “Hey, when was the last time you ate, Chief?”

She shrugged and then seemed to think about it. “On the Normandy, but hm...I’m not sure actually. Time’s been a little...weird.” 

“If you have to think about it it’s been too long.”

“I’m fine, sir.” She laughed it off but paused. “Aw hell Lieutenant now I  _ am  _ hungry. Do you always monitor your crew’s eating habits?”

Alenko smiled. “It’s purely selfish, I assure you. I’ll definitely be ordering a steak sandwich and some fries in a minute. Biotics are always hungry. We burn through calories like crazy.”

“Sounds like a good workout regimen.” She smiled.

“It’s a different kind of heavy lifting,” Shepard explained, and sipped his beer. 

“Yeah I noticed you didn’t have any trouble...lifting people. That was impressive.” Ashley took a couple of swallows of her own beer.

“Biotics has its advantages and its disadvantages.” Alenko said. “I hadn’t really planned on joining the Alliance way back when, but there aren’t a whole lot of opportunities for someone like me outside of y’know...lifting people. So I joined up. What about you? How’d you come to the Alliance?”

She shrugged. “Military family. Tough to walk away from that. What about you, Shepard?” 

“My parents are Alliance. I grew up on ships.” Shepard could hardly remember a time where he was on solid ground for more than a few weeks at a time. It hadn’t been a particularly normal life, and it had been tough to make and keep friends, but Shepard had loved every second of it. 

“Following in their footsteps?” Williams asked.

He shook his head. “No. The future of humanity is out here. Think I’d go crazy if I was stuck on Earth. When I think about the things we didn’t know just in my lifetime and what we’ve learned it’s pretty exciting to be a part of.”

“Sounds awfully romantic the way you say it,” Williams said, tilting her head. Shepard supposed he was a romantic in that way. He looked at the stars and was inspired by all that they meant and everything that he could learn, see, and experience. It all felt so much bigger and greater than everything else. He loved being a part of it. 

“If you wanna see the galaxy, join the military.” Alenko said.

“They should put that on the recruitment posters.” Williams joked.

A group of four uniformed Alliance soldiers approached the table, and they all looked up at them. 

“Excuse me,” said one of them. “But are you Commander Shepard?” Shepard nodded and the four of them snapped to attention and saluted. “We don’t mean to bother you in your downtime sir, but we just saw the news vid about you becoming the first human SpecTRe and wanted to congratulate you.”

Shepard didn’t quite know what to say at the moment. He supposed he should have anticipated the news getting out eventually, but this was almost instantaneous. “News travels fast,” is what he settled on. 

“Yes sir.”

“Thank you,” Shepard said. “What else did they mention in the vid?” He was suddenly fearing that the whole story would be out there.

“It was a short segment, Sir. Just mentioned that the Council had chosen a human SpecTRe, they mentioned your name, and then a little about your service record. Then that Ambassador said a couple nice things about you.”

“That’s it?” Shepard was relieved. 

The guy smiled. “Well yes sir.” The server brought over a tray of shots and doled them out. “Anyway sir we wanted to buy you and your crew here a drink.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

They all held up their shots. “To Commander Shepard and this historic day for humanity. Hoo-ah!” The others echoed the marine cry and they all took their shots. Thankfully the group hadn’t wanted any more details. They all shook hands, and then they left Shepard, Alenko, and Williams at the table. 

“Better get used to the spotlight, Commander,” Kaidan said.

“There goes my assumption that this would all be classified.”

“Humanity needs something like this right now.” Kaidan explained. “I’m sure they won’t want details. Just want to put a face and a name to the title.”

“Wait a minute,” Williams said. “Udina said nice things about you?”

They all shared a chuckle at that.

“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag, Commander,” Alenko teased.

“Yeah. I guess so. Still that was...”

“You know the media. They can sniff something out pretty immediately. I don’t think it was more than a couple of hours before the news hit about Eden Prime.”

“Oh my god,” Williams said quietly. Shepard looked at her. He swore the color had drained from her face, and she looked dizzy. He was starting to wonder himself just how long it had been since she’d eaten.

Alenko sighed. “Sorry, Williams. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, Lieutenant. I just...there’s something I realized I need to take care of.” She looked at Shepard. “Wondering if I might split off from you for a bit, sir.”

Shepard nodded. “You’re on leave, Williams. The time’s yours.”

“Thank you sir.” She stood. “I’ll...check in later.” 

He nodded as she walked off when she was gone, he looked at Alenko. “Does she look worried to you?”

Alenko nodded. “Yeah.. Hope everything’s okay.”

“Yeah. At least as okay as it can be for her.”

“Yeah you said it.” Alenko drank. “I’ll keep an eye on her, make sure she’s adjusting okay.”

“Sounds good. So. What do you think?”

“Of what?”

“Williams. Think she’s a good fit for the Normandy?”

“So far I do. I wouldn’t have expected someone like her to be stuck groundside.”

“What do you mean? I haven’t had a chance to go over her file yet.”

“There’s not much in there really. I mean you’ve seen her in a couple fire-fights now. She follows orders, works well with a team and she’s a hell of a shot. Her skill-set is actually really impressive. Her technical scores are damn near perfect, her health records and psych profile check out.” 

“But…”

“Lots of crap assignments. Mostly groundside. To be honest, I don’t get it.”

“What do you think the issue is if you had to guess? Attitude?”

Alenko shook his head. “Her superiors had nothing but good things to say in her file. She was even squad leader in a couple of her units.” He shrugged. 

“There’s gotta be something,” Shepard said. 

Alenko laughed. “Maybe she’s actually a Vorcha in disguise.”

“Not many Vorcha look like that.” He hadn’t meant for it to come out of his mouth so quickly or to sound the way it did. He wondered why he’d even said it, if it was the whisky or Alenko himself, who seemed relaxed and approachable and easy to talk to. He tried to correct himself “I just mean -”

“It’s okay Commander. There’s no regs forbidding casual appreciation. Besides I agree, but that’s all I’ll say about it.”

“Right,” Shepard said. “We’re professionals.” He didn’t generally make a habit of being attracted to the people he worked with, especially if they were ranked lower than he was, but it had been known to happen. He was only human after all. He’d always been able to ignore it and keep it professional, and this would be no different. He also knew that comments like that about fellow marines to his Lieutenant weren’t exactly a great idea, and he put the thought out of his mind as Alenko thankfully changed the subject by suggesting they order some food.

\---

She couldn’t believe she had forgotten to contact her family after Eden Prime. Everything had happened so fast. She hadn’t considered the news until Alenko mentioned it. She had left the bar and jumped on a public extranet terminal on The Citadel and pulled up her email as quickly as possible to get a message to her mother and sisters. 

_ Hi! Don’t freak out! I don’t know what you’re hearing on the news about Eden Prime, if anything at all, but I’m FINE. I’m alive and I’m not hurt so try not to worry. It’s been one hell of a day and I’ll definitely need to hear your voices soon. If you’ve heard the news about Commander Shepard becoming the first human SpecTRe you should know I’m working with him at the moment. Feels pretty cool. I’m not sure how much I’m actually allowed to say. I’ll update as soon as I can, but remember, I’m FINE. Love you so much. - Ash _

She knew that would never be a satisfactory email for any of them. Her mom might get angry, her baby sister Sarah would prod for details as soon as possible, and her calm sister Gabby would have to manage her other sister Lynn’s anxiety over it. But letting them know she was alive and well was about all she could do at the moment. 

After sending it off, Ashley managed to find something to eat and buy enough personal supplies on The Citadel to fill her recently purchased duffel bag. She was allowed one foot locker of items and when she shoved it all in the trunk at the foot of her unofficially assigned bunk, she took a deep breath. It had been Jenkins’ bunk, she realized. His personal affects had already been removed and taken with his body to the Alliance hub on The Citadel. For better or worse, The Normandy was home now, or at least until Shepard got situated with whatever was going to happen with him. She hadn’t even officially been assigned to The Normandy yet, but she was hoping that paperwork would come through soon. She was trying not to panic at the idea that she’d be shoved aside once again based on her name once they dug deeper. She’d deflected the military family conversation over to Shepard at the bar. “Williams” was a fairly common name, but not every Williams was the granddaughter of a disgraced Alliance General.

She’d managed to get back to the ship long before most of the other crew members. She imagined they were off, taking in the sights. Ashley didn’t care about any of that at the moment. She was exhausted, and now that she was alone she felt her body begin to feel heavy and burdensome. Her injuries were yelling at her to either sit the hell down or take some pain meds. She had never liked pain meds. They made her groggy, but she thought this time it might at least help her sleep. She checked in with Dr. Chakwas, popped a couple of mild painkillers, and decided to get some rack time. She turned off the small light in her bottom bunk, pulled the scratchy wool military issue sheets and blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.

She knew she was dreaming, but that didn’t make the feeling any less real. She watched as the time she had spent with some of the 212 replayed in short vignettes. Bhatia told her all about the restaurant she wanted to open with her husband back on earth when her rotation was done. For Chase’s birthday they’d all done shots at their regular bar and he’d blushed when they sang Happy Birthday. She was adamant that Johansen was a jerk, but he’d convinced her to sleep with him a couple of times anyway when she’d been bored. Rogers was lazy, but one of the funniest people she’d ever met. There was a poker night where Pham revealed she was headed back to Earth, and it had made Ashley sad. She would miss her. They had grown close, and Pham had been easy to talk to. She hadn’t gotten a chance to go home, because she’d burned alive in a blown up transport. Ashley could still smell the fires and hear her screaming. Chase caught a bullet through his face shield and crumpled to the ground. Johansen’s shields weren’t enough, and energy blasts tore through him like he was paper. Rogers had been standing with Ashley when the blast slammed them both into a rock and his neck had apparently broken as she was knocked out. Everything was black. Her eyes searched, but there was nothing around her but the whirring and clicking hums of the Geth. She looked around frantically, but had no weapon and no sight. Her breathing was labored, her heart felt like it would explode, and when she turned, a zombified blue husk screamed and lunged at her.

Her eyes popped open just as she threw a clumsy punch. Her broken fingers clanged against the metal wall next to her bunk so hard she saw stars and felt her eyes sting with tears. She bit her lip, held her knuckles in her other hand and curled into a ball trying to remain silent. She breathed through the pain with her eyes closed, and then rolled onto her back to stare at the bunk above her. The crew quarters were mostly dark, save for a couple dim bunk lights. She glanced at the bunk next to hers, where one of the systems engineers snored with his mouth open. She thought she remembered his name was Fitzer. Thankfully, she hadn’t seemed to disturb anyone. Her heart was still pounding, so she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to slow it. She blinked away the threatening tears.

She looked at the time. It was 1 am, and she realized she had gotten about four hours of sleep. It would have to do. She wouldn’t be getting any more rest tonight between her dream and her bunkmate’s snoring. She slid out of bed, quietly changed into some workout gear, and headed through the silent ship to the small gym. It wasn’t much - a couple of treadmills and weight machines, some free weights, and a small padded sparring area. She couldn’t feel any of her injuries other than her recently hurt hand. At least the painkillers had worked. She went to one of the treadmills and ran. She ran and ran away from her dreams, away from her pain. She ran until there was nothing but running and the ceaseless, hypnotizing sound of her feet pounding rhythmically on the floor. She ran until she couldn’t see any of their faces anymore. 

\---

Alenko and Shepard had had a few more beers and food and discussed the crew, the mission, Captain Anderson, and logistics. Alenko was organized and Shepard found he had a good rapport with him. Whatever happened next, he hoped he could have him around. Shepard had returned to the ship with a pleasant buzz and had hoped that the alcohol would help him sleep, but he barely closed his eyes the entire time he was in his bunk. Eventually, he’d given up and dug around in his newly accessible SpecTRe files. He searched for whatever he could find on Saren, on The Council, the Geth, and Prothean technology. A lot of it was redacted, and he guessed his access wasn’t nearly as privileged as they’d made it out to be. He went down a rabbit hole of classified documents that he thought might be helpful, but found himself zoning out and closing his eyes trying to focus on the images from the Prothean beacon they’d discovered. 

When he opened his eyes he was on Akuze with his boots caked with mud. It had stormed, making the normally arid desert expanse into a swampy, flooded wasteland. It had been a long time since he’d been back here. He’d hidden this place away, but there he stood, in the rain soaked camp they’d made for themselves on a mission that was turning out to be a waste of time. He could smell cigarettes and hear the rain on the roof of one of the trailer structures they’d repurposed. So far they hadn’t found a single member of the pioneer team that had come there to pave the way for colonists. It was just empty. 

There hadn’t been much sign of struggle except an overturned trailer and some oddly disturbed ground around the site. The abandoned nature of the camp was creeping the squad out, and Shepard was starting to feel it too. They hadn’t been able to report in. Some kind of interference with the comms, maybe from the next impending storm, but it didn’t matter. The shuttles would be back in forty-eight hours anyway.

He blinked, and the sun had set, blanketing the camp in an inky darkness spotted with a few lamps and omni-tool glows. He stood, watching from outside himself as he sat next to some squad mates who were passing around a whisky bottle. Someone passed it to that version of himself, and he took it, swigged, and laughed at a joke someone else made.  _ Get up _ , he warned himself and the others silently.  _ Run _ . But they sat there laughing. He sat there laughing. Several teams were scattered around the camp, fifty-one marines altogether. He watched a few of them remove pieces of their armor to get ready to get some rest and his heart started pounding.  _ Don’t _ , he thought.  _ Put it back on _ .

The ground rumbled.

Shepard snapped awake with his head on his desk. He sat up quickly, looked around, realized he was in his bunk area and took a deep breath to slow his pounding heart. He hadn’t had nightmares about Akuze in years. He’d buried it deep, but there it was at the surface once again. He supposed thinking about Williams and her squad had brought the memories up. Or maybe the beacon had messed with him. Whatever the cause he knew he would need to ignore it, and fast. He had a job to do. 

“Shit.” He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time. He had just enough time to get in a workout. He changed and headed to the gym where he ran for a while, lifted some weights, and then hit the bag until his muscles were tired. It was enough to put his nightmare out of his head for the time being. He’d learned long ago that physical training was a good way to do that. When he was satisfied that he’d worked hard enough, he took a short, hot shower in the crew locker rooms, dressed, and left the ship to go meet with Anderson on The Citadel. He’d said he had news, and Shepard couldn’t wait to hear it.


	6. The Normandy is Yours

**Chapter 6: The Normandy is Yours**

He knew that Anderson had spent some time with Udina and Alliance brass working out the logistics of his SpecTRe status. He was sure that was what this meeting was about. He entered the expensive, sleek looking bar that boasted bright windows, white leather seating, glass tables and a view of a small park on the Presidium. It was a club that only admitted officers of the Alliance Navy, and there was a shiny, chrome Alliance emblem on the wall in the entryway. It wasn’t his type of place and was too stuffy feeling for his liking, but it was where Anderson said he wanted to meet. Across the room, he saw him sitting alone by a table near the windows. He clutched a data pad in one hand, and there was a tumbler of what looked like Scotch sitting in front of him even though it was barely breakfast time on The Citadel. 

"Have a seat Shepard," Anderson said, not even looking up. He gestured to the seat across from him. "Want a drink?"

"I'm fine thanks," Shepard sat. He could tell that something was weighing on Anderson's mind, and it made sense to him. Things had really been shaken up very quickly since they’d both been assigned to the Normandy. "You wanted to see me, sir?" 

"I've got big news for you Shepard," Anderson said. "I'm stepping down as Commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now." He met Shepard’s eyes with an expression that Shepard couldn’t place. He wasn’t sure if it was sadness, anger, resignation, or a combination of all three.

He thought maybe he hadn’t heard the Captain correctly. "Sir?" 

"You're a SpecTRe now," Anderson sighed. "You need your own ship. And The Normandy is perfect. She's quick and quiet and you already know the crew." 

Shepard wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Anderson had been chosen by the top brass specifically because he was practically a household name in the Alliance. His appointment as Captain of the Normandy had been earned by his spotless career, but it was also good for diplomacy. As an Alliance war hero he was respected by The Council races and military as well. He’d been the perfect choice.“Can you elaborate, sir?”

“There’s no secret message here, Shepard. It’s exactly what I’m saying.” Anderson sipped his scotch and motioned for the server, who had already been on the way to deliver another glass and set it in front of Shepard. “Figured maybe you might want that drink now.”

“Yes sir.” He sipped it. It was good Scotch, and they sat in silence for just a moment. “Captain, I don’t know what to say. It’s an honor of course, but…” He didn’t know how to ask without just saying it. “Forgive me for asking. Was this your decision or the brass?”

Anderson sighed. "I suppose a little of both. It just makes sense.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

“Honestly, this isn’t exactly how I pictured my career coming to an end. Pushing papers isn’t really my thing. But you’re the one that can stop Saren. And if that means I have to step aside, there’s no one else I’d rather hand The Normandy over to." He nodded. “I’m sure you’ll take good care of her.”

Shepard let both the news and the compliment sink in for just a moment, then he took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you sir. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.”

Shepard wondered how much Anderson’s history with Saren had to do with it. He imagined Udina maneuvering behind the scenes to arrange it all in a slimy betrayal. 

"You and Saren," he began. "You have a history." It was more of a statement than a question. Shepard had to know. He needed to know everything there was to know about Saren if he was going to track him down.

The captain nodded. "Yes. We do have history." He shifted in his chair, sitting up more straight. 

“I’d like the full story sir.”

"That’s actually part of why I brought you here. You deserve to know who you’re up against. It was close to twenty years ago. We had intel on a rogue scientist being funded by Batarian interests. He was trying to set up a facility to develop illegal AI tech out in the Verge. Alliance intel had done all the work but the Council wanted a SpecTRe involved, so we compromised. I was assigned to help Saren in his investigation.” Anderson drank again, this time it seemed like his sip was just a little longer than the last one. “We tracked the scientist to a refining facility on Camala. He was hidden away somewhere inside protected by an army of Batarian mercs. The plan was simple. Sneak into the plant, capture the scientist, sneak back out. Quick, quiet, and a minimum of bloodshed.”

“I’m guessing things didn’t go as planned.”

“Saren and I split up to cover more ground, then about halfway through the mission there was a massive explosion in the refinery core. It was ruled as an accident but I think Saren detonated it on purpose to draw off the enemy guards.”

“That’s quite a diversion.”

“It went way beyond a simple diversion. The explosion tore the refinery to shreds. The whole place was on fire. Black chemical clouds poured out into the atmosphere. Nobody inside survived.” He was silent for just a couple of seconds as he glanced at the table. “There was a camp for the workers and their families nearby. Between the fire and the toxic fumes the final death count was over 500, mostly civilians. Saren didn’t care. The target was eliminated. Mission accomplished. And I ended up taking the blame.”

“How the hell did you get blamed for that?”

“In his report Saren accused me of blowing his cover. He said it was my fault the guards were ready for us. He claimed that’s why it turned into a massacre. Saren’s report was all the proof the Council needed to kill my chances of becoming a SpecTRe.”

“You were almost a SpecTRe?” Shepard supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. It made sense that he had been considered, but it was hard to believe he’d been kept out. “Sir, I didn’t know you had-”

“Nobody knew. It was classified. But yes. I had a bad feeling about Saren right from the start. I think he wanted things to go bad. He was looking for an excuse to blow that refinery. Maybe he just likes the violence. Maybe he wanted to make me look bad to keep humans out of the SpecTRes. If so, he pulled it off.”

“Add it to the reasons I want to take him down sir. You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Shepard. I didn’t bring you here to dwell on the past. I’ve done okay for myself since. I’m telling you this because you need to know that Saren will do whatever it takes to win. You may have to be prepared to do the same.”

Shepard thought about what that might mean. He couldn’t see himself blowing up a refinery and killing hundreds of civilians, but he was no stranger to tough choices and it sounded like Saren was willing to be completely ruthless. It made him angry. “How do I bring him down?" he asked.

The captain leaned back again. "Saren's gone. Don't even think about trying to find him. But we know what he’s after. The Conduit. He’s got his Geth scouring the Traverse looking for clues.”

“What kind of leads do we have?”

“There's been reports of Geth on Noveria, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. At least no one seems panicked about it. There’s also reports of Geth in the Feros system shortly before our colony there dropped out of contact.” Anderson shook his head. “I don’t know what’s happening there, but let’s just hope it’s not going to turn into another Eden Prime.”

Shepard nodded, taking it all in. "I’ll do everything I can to make sure that won’t happen again," he said. 

"Good. There's one more lead, Shepard." Anderson added. "This Matriarch Benezia. She has a daughter. An archeologist working out of the Artemis Tau cluster."

"You’re thinking we find her, maybe we find Benezia?"

"Exactly." Anderson sighed. He seemed to hesitate, fidgeting with his glass. Finally he spoke. "I know this is a lot on your plate, Shepard. But…" He hesitated. "I have one more favor to ask you."

"Anything you need, sir."

"I have a friend. Admiral Kahoku. He contacted me a couple of days ago after some of his marines went missing on a routine op. He knew I'd be on the fastest ship in the fleet, so he asked if I'd look into it. I gave him my word I would, but now I'm not going to get the chance."

Shepard knew what he was asking. "What are the details?" He asked, already having made up his mind to help the Captain. He owed him that much.

"Last he heard they'd responded to a distress beacon on Edolus. The Admiral can't seem to get anyone to check it out. For some reason he's been blocked at every pass."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but that's why he asked me to look into it." He looked Shepard in the eye. "And that's why I'm asking you."

Shepard nodded. "I'll find them, sir."

"Thank you, Shepard." He seemed relieved. 

“Is there anything else I need to know, sir?”

“Yes actually. Earlier I received a recommendation to temporarily dismiss Chief Williams from the Normandy pending psych eval.”

“That seems out of nowhere. Why is that?”

“Mostly it comes from Alliance Medical. She lost her whole squad, Shepard. Understandably they want to make sure she’s fit for duty. You know how the Alliance loves its evaluations.” 

“I hear you.” Shepard had had a few psych evals himself over the years. He’d always seen it mostly pointless in his case, but he supposed some people couldn’t deal with traumatic situations as well as others. He suspected that Williams would be okay, but what if she wasn’t? “It seems important to her that she’s on this mission, Captain. How much of a recommendation is this?” 

“If it were me, I might acquiesce to their request, but only because I wouldn’t really have a choice.”

“Do I have a choice?” 

“You could potentially dismiss the recommendation using your SpecTRe authority, but only if you feel like it’s a good idea. I know you’ll make the right call.”

“Yes sir. Does Williams know about this?” He didn’t think she’d had time to get the news, but he remembered just how pale and worried looking she’d gotten when they were at the bar. Maybe she wasn’t fit for duty, but Shepard hoped she was. 

“Not yet. I figured you could break it to her.” He chuckled. “Sorry for throwing so much in your lap. Maybe you can talk to her before you make the decision.” 

Shepard nodded and took a gulp of his drink. “I’ll talk to her. And I’ll set a course for Edolus as soon as I can. For now, those colonists on Feros may still be alive. I’ll make it a priority.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Anderson nodded. They sat for a moment in the silence. Anderson picked up his drink and swirled it, causing the ice to clink against the glass. 

“I suppose I should get going then,” Shepard finally said when he realized there was nothing else to talk about really.

“I suppose so.” They both stood. "Oh before I forget – just before I stepped down I added the Turian, Garrus and the Quarian, Tali to the Normandy's roster." Anderson was smirking now. It prompted a small smile from Shepard.

"I bet the Ambassador and the brass just loved that." Shepard said. He had to admit it was a nice little screw you to the higher ups from Anderson. Putting non-humans on a human Alliance ship wouldn’t be popular within the Human run Systems Alliance Navy.

“That vein in Udina’s forehead nearly burst I think. It almost makes all of this worth it. Besides, I figured you could use them on this. Just make sure they know who’s in charge.”

“Yes sir.”

“Make me proud Commander.” Anderson snapped to attention and saluted. Shepard did the same. “Good hunting.” Anderson turned and walked away, leaving Shepard standing next to the table. He sat again, partly because he was still letting the whole thing sink in. The Normandy was his. He was a SpecTRe. He had a mission. He had more authority now than he’d ever had, and he had alien crew members on his ship. Of all the things he was feeling, excitement was definitely one of them. He smiled to himself and gulped down the last of his Scotch before standing to leave. It was time to get the Normandy out there, but first he had to talk to Williams. 

* * *

Urdnot Wrex was losing patience. He grumbled a low, dissatisfied noise to himself and crossed his arms. He'd been waiting for an hour near the entrance to The Normandy in the docking bay. He wanted off of The Citadel, especially after he had failed in his task to get rid of Fist. Commander Shepard had seen to that, whether he’d meant to or not. 

The elevator opened, and Wrex recognized Shepard from the news.

"Are you the one they call Shepard?" he asked. Shepard stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

"Who wants to know?" He said. He was looking Wrex directly in the eye, which Wrex appreciated. 

“Name’s Urdnot Wrex. The Shadow Broker paid me a lot to take out Fist.”

“You’re the bounty hunter I heard about.” Wrex watched Shepard tense slightly, not out of fear, but in anticipation of a fight, but Wrex wasn’t here for that.

“Yeah. Only I didn’t get to have a chat with him. You and your friends showed up and blew it.”

“Where is Fist now?”

“He fled. And now I can’t collect on my contract.” 

Shepard clearly glanced at Wrex’s pistol, which was secured on his belt. Shepard had one too, but hadn’t made a move toward it yet. 

“Maybe you should have been faster,” Shepard said. Wrex chuckled. 

“Or maybe you should have let me talk to him before scaring him off. He had intel on Saren that I needed.” Shepard’s stance seemed to relax a little, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What do you know about Saren?” He demanded.

“I know he’s dangerous. And I know he’s up to something big. And I know you’re looking for him too.”

“What is it you want?” Shepard didn’t seem like he had a lot of patience, but he did seem intrigued by what Wrex knew.

“I want in on this hunt, Shepard.” Wrex stepped closer. “You and Saren are in the middle of the biggest storm in the galaxy right now, and I’m offering up the services of a seasoned Krogan battlemaster to help take him down.”

“You’re offering to work for me?”

Wrex nodded. “I’ll even do it for free.”

“Did you work for the Shadowbroker for free too?”

“Hell no. That was business.”

“So what is this then?” Shepard raised an eyebrow.

“I want to take Saren down, and I have information that can help you. Plus, it sounds like you’ll be seeing a lot of action. I could come in handy.” He smiled just a little, but Shepard’s face didn’t budge.

“How do I know you don’t work for Saren and the second I turn around you shoot me in the back?” 

“All I have is my word. We're both warriors, Shepard. I may be a merc, but I’m willing to fall in line." They stared at each other for a few seconds. 

“No,” Shepard said simply. “I’m not willing to risk my crew just because you want a fight.” He tried to move past Wrex, but he stepped in front of him. 

“This isn’t just a fight, Shepard and you know it. This is war, and you need to win. I can help you do that.” 

“How could you help?” The human was damn stubborn, and Wrex was growing impatient.

“If you want a list of people I’ve worked with or battles I’ve been in I can’t help you there, Shepard. I don’t have a god damn resume on hand. If you- LOOK OUT!”

Three Krogan stepped off of the elevator and nodded in their direction before pulling their weapons and advancing toward Shepard and Wrex. Shepard turned, saw the danger, and pulled his weapon, but the largest Krogan in front had already closed in and delivered a swift and hard head butt to Shepard’s face. Shepard staggered, but didn’t go down and Wrex pulled his shotgun in a blink and fired at one of the other Krogan. It hit, pierced his armor, and he went down. The other Krogan attempted to engage Wrex in a hand to hand fight.

_ Bad idea _ , Wrex thought. He didn’t bother dodging, instead taking the full force of the Krogan’s hit. It barely phased him. He let out a growl and tackled him and pummelled him until his opponent could barely hold his hands up to defend himself. 

Wrex looked up just in time to see the big Krogan slam Shepard against a wall and put his forearm on his throat. He’d lost his gun and there was a cut on his forehead from where he’d been headbutted. Shepard went for the Krogan’s legs with a swift kick and knocked the Krogan off balance enough that he staggered backwards. Krogan didn’t have very strong legs in comparison with the rest of their bodies, and Shepard must have known that.  _ Impressive _ , Wrex thought. The injured Krogan that was on the ground got up and approached Shepard as well.

Shepard managed to exploit the Krogan’s stagger and delivered a hard elbow to the Krogan’s mouth. Wrex wasn’t sure if the cracking sound it made was the Krogan’s teeth or Shepard’s elbow, but the Krogan became enraged. He finally pulled his pistol, deciding that the fight wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped it would be, and he pointed it at Shepard.

Wrex growled, charged, and the Krogan with the gun turned just in time to be rammed by Wrex. The Krogan hit the other Krogan and they both flew off of the docking bay walkway and fell, screaming into the depths below.

Wrex approached, Shepard, who had fallen onto his knees and was grimacing while holding his ribs. He regarded him with a suspicious look, and then took Wrex’s extended hand and allowed himself to be helped up.

“Saren must know you’re after him,” Wrex said. 

“What gave you a clue?” Shepard’s voice was annoyed, but he was still trying to catch his breath. He finally nodded. “Thanks for…”

“Don’t mention it. Come on I’ll buy you a drink and tell you everything I know about Saren.” He clapped the commander on the shoulder, and Shepard winced just a little, but nodded again.

“Okay. Fine. Lead the way, Wrex.”

* * *

It hadn’t taken long for word to reach the ship, and Alenko to confirm what everyone was whispering about. Anderson was no longer in command of Normandy, and Shepard was. Ashley wondered just how that might have happened, but for the most part she was satisfied with the outcome. The rest of the crew seemed to be taking the news well too.

Her sister Sarah’s voice filled the small armory. She was glad to hear from her and get news on her family. Normalcy was something she needed at the moment. She loved hearing about the mundane details of everyone’s day. Mom had apparently taken up jogging but quit after two days. Lynn had just applied for a new job, Gabby was dealing with a two-year old daughter and having a hard time, and Sarah was about to graduate high school. It was the first time in the last couple of days Ashley had felt normal. 

“Anyway, we’re glad you’re okay. I wish I could give you a big stupid hug. That’s really awful about your friends. I know you were close with some of them. Mom said she’d record something for you soon too. Send us a vid instead of an email next time. I don’t think Lynn fully believed it was you and you were okay. Sounds like you’ll be busy. Oh, you mentioned you’re working with Commander Shepard? We saw him on the news here. He’s cute! Anyway please be safe out there. We love you. Later sis.”

“Williams,” She heard behind her. She jumped and turned to find Shepard had just approached the doorway of the armory. “Sorry to interrupt. Do you have a minute?”

She smiled. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. You startled me.” 

“I don’t have to worry about you being jumpy do I, Williams?” He raised an eyebrow, but she thought he was probably kidding. His even tone of voice made it hard to tell.

“Far from it, sir.” She gestured at the console. “Just focused on a voicemail from my sister.”

“Sounds like you’ve been keeping your family updated.”

She shrugged. “As much as possible until I hear what’s classified and what isn’t.” She noticed a bruise on his cheek, a small split in his lip, and a tended to cut on his forehead. “What happened to you?”

“Long story. Short story is we have a new Krogan crew member.”

“Wait, we have a Krogan now? And did this Krogan give you a black eye?”

“Not this one. Another one. I’ll explain later.” 

Ashley stared at him for a moment before nodding. She would have to get the details on that. “Okay…So what’s up? You didn’t drop by to eavesdrop on family mail.” 

“No actually I needed to talk to you about something.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

She tensed. There it was. Now that he’d had some time to dig into her records, she knew what he was going to say. She braced herself. “I have some time,” she said, sounding much more confident than what she was feeling. 

“I just wanted to check in, see how you’re doing.” She hoped maybe this wasn’t about her name and family history at all. Not that anyone had ever said specifically that her being a Williams is what got her shitty assignments. But the implication was always there. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened on Eden Prime. You looked a little pale when you left the bar last night.” 

“Oh that. I was just hungry,” she lied. She understood then that this was simply a normal check-in with a CO. That, she could deal with. “I appreciate the concern, sir, but I’m not really sure how much there is to say about it.” She watched him nod and glance at the table full of weapons. He let his gaze sit there for a moment. He’d shaved, and she noticed a small, barely there scar on his jawline that she decided she was curious about. He finally looked up at her and she felt like she had been caught checking him out. 

“It can be rough losing people. It can mess with you.” She’d heard from Joker that years ago Shepard had been on an op gone bad on Akuze and apparently fifty marines had died. But she certainly didn’t plan on bringing it up to ask about how accurate that was.

“It sucks,” she finally admitted with a shrug. “A lot. But if you’re asking if I’m fit for duty, Commander I can assure you I’m dealing with it.” She wasn’t sure how true that really was, but she’d been working hard to convince herself. 

He took a deep breath, and she thought he looked a little relieved. She got the sense that heart to heart talks with the crew weren’t exactly something he looked forward to in his work. She was slightly entertained by the idea of collapsing onto his chest in a fit of tears just to see how he would handle it. And she had to admit she wouldn’t have hated getting close enough to smell him again. She pushed the thought away when he spoke again. “You know Dr. Chakwas is a medical doc, but from what I hear she’s also good for-”

“Really, I’m fine sir.” She interrupted. “I’ve lost friends before. Comes with being a marine. I know all about the stages of grief and all that stuff. What matters to me right now is this mission, and I won’t let you down by losing focus.” 

“I believe you,” he said. His eyes met hers for what she knew was one more short evaluation of her mental state. “But if you do ever need to talk - .”

“You know, you and the Lieutenant are acting like a couple of mother hens.” He raised a slightly annoyed eyebrow, and she straightened up. “Sorry. I’m kidding, Shepard. I do appreciate it, and I understand you want to make sure your team is solid. But you can both relax I promise.” She nodded to put a point on it.

“Okay,” he said. “Your transfer should be official soon.”

“Was there some kind of hold up?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to answer. 

“Nothing important,” he responded. 

“By the way,” she wanted to change the subject. “I guess you’re in charge now right? Congratulations. What happened with Captain Anderson, or can you say?”

“He gave up a lot to give us this opportunity.” Ashley couldn’t imagine what that all entailed, but Shepard’s words made her think it had been kind of dramatic.

“Then we better be sure we get it done right, sir.”

“Damn right we will. We’re setting a course for the colony on Feros.” One side of his mouth turned up very slightly. “I don’t suppose I should try to side-line you from the ground team because of your injuries.”

“No sir,” she said with a defiant chin up. 

“Okay Williams, I read you loud and clear. I’ll let you get back to it.” He turned and walked to the door and turned around again. “So your sister...she single?”

“You’re in luck Commander. She is!” Ashley crossed her arms and grinned. “She’s also sixteen.” She knew he was kidding, having obviously heard Sarah mention he was cute, but she couldn’t resist making him squirm. She watched a subtle cringe wash over his face. 

“Ah,” he said. “I should go.” He looked like he almost smiled, and he disappeared around the corner. 

Ashley slumped back onto the table and took a deep breath. She could relax. She wasn’t going anywhere. She was on the crew now, and she could stop worrying about the family curse for the moment. She felt her energy renewed with the thought of just how crucial their mission was, but she also felt completely exhilarated. Finally, she would be on a ship out among the stars, and not just on some rock looking up at them.

* * *

Shepard made his way to the bridge. He found Joker there, and he turned in his chair to speak.

“Heard about what happened with Captain Anderson,” Joker said. “The guy survives a hundred battles then gets taken down by backroom politics. Just watch your back commander. Things go wrong on this mission you’re next on their chopping block.”

“I get that feeling too.” Shepard knew exactly what a razor thin line it was he was about to walk as Commander of the Normandy. “The captain should be the one in charge. It’s like I’m stealing the ship from him.” 

“Yeah the captain got screwed, but it’s not like you could have stopped it. Nobody is blaming you. Everyone on this ship is behind you, Commander. 100%. If you got anything you want to say to the crew. Now’s the time.”

Shepard thought about what he might say to the crew,  _ his  _ crew. He’d never been one for speeches, but he’d never had a hard time motivating those under his command. He hit the comm button.

“This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders. We’re out to hunt down Saren. I won’t lie to you. This mission isn’t going to be easy. This began with an attack on a human settlement in the Traverse, but we know Saren won’t stop there. His Geth armies aren’t going to stay on the far fringes of Citadel space. For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now it’s time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy. Time to show what humans are made of. We need to do this, not just for our own sake. But for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped. And I promise you all, we will stop him.”

"Well said, Commander," Joker said. "The Captain would be proud."

"Not if we fail," Shepard replied. He looked at Joker. "Let's get this bird in the air. Tell Pressley to set a course for Feros." As he turned and walked away he heard Joker.

"Aye aye, sir."

It would be a few hours until they reached Feros. Shepard would need to prep his ground team in a little while, but first he would move his few things from the XO quarters to the Captain's quarters. 


	7. Feros

**Chapter 7: Feros**

As Ashley looked around the CIC she was admittedly amazed by what she was seeing. There stood a Quarian, a Turian, and a Krogan amongst a handful of crew being briefed by Commander Shepard. They were all now crew on an Alliance ship, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She’d gotten a chance to talk with Tali a little and decided she really liked her. She had tried not to ask a million questions, but Quarians were a mystery to her, and Ashley was curious. Tali’s enthusiasm about The Normandy was sort of adorable in a nerdy engineer type of way. Ashley hadn’t spoken much to Garrus, but thought he seemed serious and capable. She wasn’t sure just how much she trusted him yet. Then there was Wrex. He was the biggest surprise of all. Literally. They’d had to bunk him in the cargo bay with his own supplies. She couldn’t understand what on earth had compelled Shepard to bring him on board, but he clearly had his reasons. She was certain she wouldn’t have done the same, but then again, she wasn’t in charge. Shepard was.

Shepard and Alenko had brought them all in to prep for Feros. They would all be on the ground team, and Ashley hoped to God Wrex was the kind of Krogan who could follow orders and not get others killed. All she’d ever heard about Krogan didn’t necessarily paint them in a good light. The group went over the initial strategy. It was solid, and Shepard had previously shown himself to be a smart tactician, but they were going in blind since they’d lost contact with the colonists. Her jaw tensed just a little as she hoped Feros hadn’t turned out like Eden Prime. 

As they trickled into the cargo bay to gear up, Ashley thought about what they might be heading into. No one looked nervous, and if it weren’t for the possibility of them finding an entire colony wiped out, she might have been excited. She had always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie, which helped her be able to do her job. Marines plunged head first into dangerous situations, but it was more exhilarating to some than others. Ashley enjoyed the thrill of it, but that didn’t seem particularly appropriate or sensitive when people were dying. Sometimes she felt guilty about it so she tended to keep that to herself.

The airlock opened, and Ashley squinted as the bright grey daylight hit her eyes. She took in her surroundings and tried to get a feel for what kind of environment they’d be working in. She’d been told Feros was an entire old Prothean ruin and that it extended for miles and miles. The dull grey stone blended near seamlessly with the cloudy sky, and parts of it had crumbled away with time. There was a light layer of dust that seemed to lay on everything. Ashley had been born in a colony on Sirona and hadn’t spent much time there before her father was reassigned somewhere else, but she knew it had been nicer than this. Colony life was hard, sure but this place?  _ What a dump.  _

There was a man she assumed to be a colonist waiting for them at the end of the platform. She hoped that was a good sign and that maybe they hadn’t been hit as hard as they’d thought. As they approached though, she saw his eyes looked tired and sunken, and his expression was blank. Maybe they hadn’t been as lucky as Ash had hoped. 

The man nodded toward Shepard. “We saw your ship. Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately.” 

“Who’s Fai Dan?” Shepard asked. Right to the point.

“He’s our leader. He needs your help to prepare for the Geth.” The man fidgeted with his hands. “They’re making another push. Follow me up the stairs.”

They’d barely taken two steps when Ashley heard the noise she knew she would never get out of her mind. She froze as the humming, whirring, clicking sound of Geth became louder. They were closing in on their position fast.

“Geth!” the man yelled and pointed. Everyone ran to a position of cover just before a group of Geth emerged from a dark half crumbled hallway at the end of the docking bay. 

Shepard grabbed the terrified man and pulled him into cover behind some crates nearby. “Stay down.” he ordered. The man curled into a ball with his hands on his head. There wasn’t much cover except for the short wall on the walkway leading to the Normandy, and Ashley was clustered behind it with the rest of the squad. It wasn’t ideal for a fight, and if the Geth had a rocket launcher or grenades they were screwed, but they didn’t have much of a choice. 

As the Geth started firing on their position, Clouds of pebbles, dust, and powder filled the air and clinked off of her helmet as Ashley popped out of cover to fire off a few rounds. She managed to tag one Geth as it stepped out of cover to fire on the Normandy. It went down, but Ashley suspected its weapon would have been useless against the Normany’s shields anyway. The rest of the Geth had an advantageous position. They had more cover, more room to spread out, and they weren’t advancing.

“They’re dug in. I can’t get a clear shot,” Wrex said.

“We’re pinned down as long as those crates are giving them cover,” Garrus yelled.

“Grenades?” Tali yelled.

“Don’t know what’s in those crates!” Ash responded, but she appreciated Tali’s enthusiasm for pulling out the explosives.

“I got it,” Kaidan said. He stepped out of cover and glowed blue before focusing all of his energy on the crates that blocked the Geth. Ashley surfaced to offer suppressing fire while he was out in the open and vulnerable, and the crates at the end of the platform rose up steadily, exposing the Geth. 

“Take em out!” Shepard yelled and they all focused their fire. As the last Geth fell, Kaidan grunted and released the crates and they slammed back to the ground. He took a deep breath, shook his head, and made sure his pistol was secured at his waist. He glanced at Ashley and she grinned at him behind her face plate.

“What?” he asked.

“Just impressed.” She responded. Ashley didn’t know much about biotics except that Kaidan was more powerful than some other human biotics. It had something to do with the biotic amp that was implanted but she didn’t understand the science behind it. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

“I’m fine Chief,” he smiled again and Ashley noticed again just how warm his brown eyes were. She had a feeling that maybe Alenko was actually a big softie. He’d seemed genuinely interested in her well-being after Eden Prime, which she’d appreciated. Sure, he was a big softie that didn’t hesitate to take a shot and could rip an enemy in half with space magic, but he had a softness to him nonetheless.

“Everyone good?” Shepard asked.

They all looked around at each other. Everyone seemed to be in working order.

“It’s times like this I’m happy to be in a sealed environment,” Tali said as she brushed chalky white dust off of her armor.

“Ha!” Wrex laughed. “Non-Krogan always act like a little dust’ll kill ‘em.”

“To be fair in my case it might,” Tali crossed her arms. Ashley couldn’t see her eyes, but she knew she’d given Wrex a piercing look. She was liking her more and more.

Shepard pulled the still shaking man up from the ground. “You alright?” He slapped the guy on the shoulder in a light, encouraging fashion and the man nodded and took a deep breath. Shepard motioned to the exit. “Fai Dan’s through there?”

The guy took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah but uh… If you don’t mind I’d rather not lead the way…”

“I don’t blame you,” Shepard said. “Just stay back a little and let us know where to go.” Shepard looked at the squad. “Move out.”

* * *

The colony had really been hit, Shepard thought. The survivors had makeshift barriers where a few clearly exhausted people were stationed with rifles. Those that weren’t keeping guard were sleeping on the ground, tending to various tasks, or staring off into space. There were fewer here than Shepard had expected, maybe two dozen. He hoped that meant they had just gotten separated from a larger group, and that they would find those people alive too. He sent Kaidan to check in with the medical staff, and Tali to see if she could offer any help with their tech needs. Ashley stepped away to see if she could get some information from a small group of colonists who were standing around. Wrex and Garrus followed Shepard over to a tired looking man. 

“Are you Fai Dan?” Shepard asked.

The man nodded and shook Shepard’s hand. “Yes.”

“Commander Shepard.” He removed his helmet.

“This is Arcelia.” Fai Dan gestured to the woman standing next to him. She nodded at Shepard. “Please tell me you’re here to take care of our Geth problem.”

“That’s the idea.” He saw the man’s shoulders visibly relax. 

“You’re a bit late aren’t you?” Arcelia said. Her eyes were red, and she looked like she’d been crying. There were dirty tear streaks on her cheeks, though now her face held a hardened expression. “They may have been slowed but they’ll come back. They always come back.”

“What do you think they want?” Shepard asked. Feros was an entire Prothean ruin. He thought the Geth had to be after some kind of artifact, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be or where it might be. He’d decided to focus on the Geth for now. Whatever it was they were looking for, they couldn’t get it if they were dead.

“If you want answers, go and ask them yourselves.” Arcelia grumbled.

“We... don’t know what they’re after.” Fai Dan explained. “They came, they attacked us. That’s all we know. Their main base is at the Exogeni headquarters. A good place to start looking if you want answers.” 

“What’s at Exogeni?” Shepard asked.

“It’s the company most of us worked for before the attacks.” Arcelia sat down on a nearby crate. She looked just as exhausted as the others. “They fund this colony, though who knows if anyone made it out alive. The skyway will take you straight there. You can’t miss it.” 

“Of course there’s an army of Geth between here and there.” Fai Dan shook his head.

“They’ve landed at least one ship at Exogeni, and I’ve seen walking tanks on the skyway. Expect a hard fight.” Arcelia said.

“We’ll get through,” Shepard said. He looked around. Colonists had gathered in small groups nearby and were watching his talk with Fai Dan. He noticed another group’s eyes following Williams as she walked away from them and toward Shepard. She had removed her helmet, and she glanced at him. Her expression was subtle, but it told him something wasn’t quite right. As she approached Shepard to join the group, he looked back to Fai Dan. “What do you need to get back on your feet here?”

“We need the Geth destroyed.” Arcelia’s voice raised to a frustrated, forceful volume.

“Arcelia’s right. We also have more mundane problems like food, water, and power. I’m not sure where we stand on those. You should talk to the people overseeing them.”

“I have some of my people checking on that now. What else can you tell me about the colony?”

“Life is hard and often brutal, even without our current problems. Colonial Affairs told us we’d be beneath the notice of any raiders. I guess they didn’t count on Geth.” Fai Dan smiled a little. “But despite everything there’s something... tranquil about this place.” He looked at Arcelia, who returned an equally peaceful smile. It was a stark change from her previous mood. Fai Dan looked around with a serene expression before returning his eyes to Shepard. “This colony is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. We knew we had to defend it.”

It seemed like a strange thing for Fai Dan to say. Lots of colonists took pride in their settlements, but Shepard found the far off wistful tone of Fai Dan’s voice to be a bit too relaxed given the circumstances.

“How many of you are here?” He decided to stick to the main points for now.

Fai Dan seemed to snap out of his daze and he cleared his throat. “There were about a thousand at the main colony, about fifty of us here at Zhu’s Hope. Well...there were about fifty. As you can see we’ve lost a lot of good people.” Shepard was still hoping to find more pockets of survivors, but none of that would matter if he couldn’t get them off the planet or destroy the Geth foothold.

“I can call for evac shuttles,” Shepard offered. “And the Normandy isn’t huge, but we can fit quite a f-”

“No!” Fai Dan seemed horrified at the notion. He straightened up. “I mean...no thank you. I...the Geth fighters are too dangerous, and I won’t be driven off of this planet. It is... our home. There’s a chance for growth here that’s simply not available on other worlds.” There was that wistful smile again.

“What do you mean?” 

He stammered. “It...it just...We’re staying Commander. That’s all I’d like to say about it.”

Shepard nodded. “I’ll check in with you in awhile.” He motioned for Garrus, Ashley and Wrex to follow him and they put some distance between them and the colonists.

“Sounds like we have a good fight coming.” Wrex said. He sounded like he was happy about it. For a moment Shepard wondered if bringing a bloodthirsty Krogan warlord aboard had been a good idea, but he was starting to think that very few things about their mission was going to be normal anyway.

“I don’t like the sound of ‘walking tanks,’” Garrus added and then lowered his voice. “Is it me or did Fai Dan seem a little...off?” 

“Hmph,” Wrex said. “And this place smells weird.”

“It smells weird?” Shepard inhaled, but all he could get was the smell of dust, metal, and old stone. He raised an eyebrow at Wrex.

“Yeah weird.” He paused. “Quit starin’ at me like that. I’m telling you Fai Dan seems...wrong.”

“It’s not just Fai Dan,” Williams said. “These people are scared, but none of them wanted to talk to me. Something weird is going on here, Commander.” 

Kaidan returned to the group. 

“Alenko. What did you find out?”

Kaidan sighed. “They’ve lost a lot of people. The doctor died in a Geth attack, but the current medic won’t let me anywhere near the handful of people in the infirmary.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with them?” The possibility of some kind of contagion flashed in his mind. That would be a whole other challenge if they were going to help these people.

“I don’t know.” Kaidan got in closer. “There was a woman, a patient. She seemed scared, and I’m not sure it’s because of the Geth. She kept trying to tell me something, but every time she looked like she was going to talk, she doubled over in pain. The medic sedated her before she could say anything. When I tried to ask anything about the colony he deflected. Told me I need to talk to Fai Dan.”

“Group over there said the same thing.” Ashley ticked her head toward a group of colonists who were all staring over at them now. “None of them wanted to say anything other than how great this colony will be someday. They didn’t want to talk about the Geth and they insisted I talk to Fai Dan if I had any questions.”

“Maybe it’s just stress.” Garrus said.

“Yeah,” Shepard said, but he was noticing more than a few eyes on them now. “Maybe.”

“These people are creepin’ me out.” Ashley whispered. Shepard could feel the colonists eyes on them. Shepard wasn’t a paranoid man, but his gut usually let him know when something wasn’t right, and the rest of them seemed to be feeling it too. 

“I get the feeling we’re not getting the full story,” Shepard said, careful that his voice didn’t travel. He noticed how close they were all standing and realized it probably looked a little suspicious. The last thing he wanted was for the colonists to distrust them. He stepped back and raised his voice to a normal volume. “But, first things first. We have to get to the Exogeni headquarters. If we’re gonna get the Geth off this planet we’ll have to hit their stronghold.”

Tali joined them, And Shepard caught her up. She said the colonists had been more than happy with the idea of getting help with their water shortage problem, but didn’t seem to want to talk about anything else.

“Tali.” Shepard said. “You stay here and keep working on that water and power problem with them. Garrus, you stick around too in case the Geth come back.” He got closer to Garrus and lowered his voice. “Keep an eye on things. I’m not sure how much I trust these people so I don’t want any of you alone with them.” 

“Understood,” Garrus said. “And what about you?”

“The rest of us will head to the headquarters and kick out the Geth.” 

* * *

The skyway was littered with Geth and seemed to extend forever on the horizon. Ashley was trying her best to maneuver the top cannon with the controls in the passenger seat, while Shepard swerved and rammed his way through makeshift barricades. It was their only way in, and there was nothing to do but step on the gas, swerve around fire, and hope for the best.

“Shields are holding,” Kaidan reassured above the noise.

“You don’t sound so sure, Lieutenant.” Shepard accelerated and the Mako ramped off of some debris and landed hard. Wrex cursed as his head bonked against the ceiling of the tiny interior. Ashley had been amazed that they all fit anyway. Even with four seats in the back, poor Kaidan looked pushed up uncomfortably to the wall. Ashley was glad she’d hopped in the front though there wasn’t much room there either. For such a sturdy vehicle, the Mako was close quarters and more than once her elbow had collided with Shepard’s during the more turbulent shake ups. They’d diverted power in the Mako to make the shields as strong as possible, and every once in a while a rocket would just miss or graze the hull and jar them until Shepard regained control. Shepard picked up speed and headed straight for a group of Geth blocking their way. They slammed into them and Ash heard metal grinding under the tank’s tires. 

“one-o-clock!” Shepard said. Ashley tried to keep her hands steady in the bumpy ride as she hit buttons and targeted a Geth armature that looked ready to fire. She’d seen one before on Eden Prime and she knew the damage it could cause if it hit them. It started to glow with violet energy.

“I see it,” She zeroed in on it with the rocket launcher. The targeting locked, and a beeping sound let her know. She fired the rocket and it went barreling toward it. It hit, and it was enough to knock it onto its side. 

“Nice shot,” Shepard said over the sound of gunfire and explosions. They were approaching it and it was on its side trying to right itself. She thought it looked like some sort of insect struggling to get up. She hated it. She switched to the mini-gun and emptied as many rounds as she could at it before it stopped moving and they sped by. 

Up ahead there was another line of Geth rushing to take aim at them. Ashley narrowed her focus to the controls, locked in, and fired rounds down the line of enemies. By the time the Mako ran over a couple of them, they were all down, riddled with bullets. 

“Ha!” She laughed. “I could get used to me riding shotgun in this thing.”

“So could I,” Shepard chuckled slightly. He glanced at her and she could see one eyebrow raised at her under his helmet before he turned his eyes back to the road. 

“Shepard I’m getting some radio chatter,” Kaidan said. “I’ll try to clean it up.” 

The radio crackled in Ash’s helmet and she heard voices. "Vehicle approaching. Not Geth." 

"More survivors," Kaidan said.

"Let's check it out," Shepard said. They’d left the wide open skyway behind and entered an enclosed area that offered more cover. There didn’t seem to be any Geth in the immediate vicinity, but Ashley remembered how quickly everything had turned to shit on Eden Prime. She wouldn’t be caught off guard again.

“Can you zero in on their location?” Shepard asked.

“Take a left down that ramp. Signal is coming from a lower level.” Shepard rolled the Mako down a narrow ramp, and rubble crunched under the tires as they went around a tight turn at the bottom. “Just up ahead,” Kaidan said. They came to a stop and Shepard brought up a holographic display of the Mako’s system. 

“What kind of damage are we looking at?”

Alenko squeezed his head up in between Shepard and Ashley to look at the schematic. “It’ll need more than a fresh coat of paint when we get back, but it looks manageable. We need time to fully recharge the shields though if we’re gonna do a run like that one again.”

“Gonna be tough to get through there anyway.” Shepard motioned to the rubble blocking the road. The Mako was designed to go over some of the rockiest terrain there was, but Ashley thought they would probably need to use explosives to clear some of the way. They climbed out and readied their weapons and scanned the area. Shepard began walking. “Let’s check on those survivors.”

There was a ramp that led down a dark corridor. Ashley could see light and movement down at the bottom.

“There’s definitely someone down there,” she said. 

“Yeah let’s hope they’re friendly,” Kaidan added. They descended the ramp quietly until the light became brighter and they could see further barricades with humans guarding them. They had the same exhausted look that the group at Zhu’s Hope did. Shepard lowered his weapon and put his hand up as he approached. The colonists seemed to relax, and a group of them headed toward Shepard. A thin man with a pistol raised approached. Shepard didn’t react, but his companions raised their rifles again.

"That's far enough," the man said. His tone was hostile.

"Relax, Jeong," said an older woman next to him. "They're obviously not Geth."

"Get back, Juliana!" The man named Jeong said. "Who are you? What do you want?" He seemed twitchy, and Ashley didn’t like the idea of a nervous, exhausted man holding a gun on them.

“We’re with The Alliance. I’m Commander Shepard. We’re here to remove your Geth problem. So you can go ahead and lower that weapon.” He’d said it in a nice, calm voice, but Ashley also heard the twinge of a threat behind it. Jeong hesitantly lowered the gun, and Ashley and Wrex did too.

"Stop being so paranoid," the woman said and rolled her eyes.

“You trust too easily, Juliana.” The man shook his head.

“I’m just glad to see some friendly faces.” The woman addressed their group. “I thought we were the only humans left on this planet.”

“Fai Dan and some people at Zhu’s Hope are still alive.” Shepard said. The woman wheeled around with an angry look on her face.

“I thought you said they were dead, Jeong!”

“I said they were  _ probably  _ dead!”

“They’re not dead,” Ashley added. “But the Geth have really pounded them.”

“I thought they’d never make it back there,” Juliana said. “But they insisted. Only god knows why.” Juliana sighed. “Those damn synthetics are relentless.”

“We’re headed to Exogeni to wipe out their base.” Shepard added.

“Those headquarters are private property where we do confidential R&D.” Jeong crossed his arms defiantly. “Remove the Geth and nothing else!”

“I’m not interested in your company secrets,” Shepard’s tone was just a little more annoyed now. He turned back to Juliana. “You said you do research there. Do you have any idea what the Geth might be after here?”

“I have no idea,” Juliana said. “We certainly haven’t found anything of use, something Exogeni is keen to remind us of.”

Ashley looked around at the groups of people who were gathered around the bunker. It extended far back into a cavernous expanse where she could see a temporary camp. She guessed there were a couple hundred people here, far more than there were at Zhu’s Hope. Aside from a couple of curious glances as people passed by, everyone seemed to be minding their own business. What was it about the Zhu’s Hope colonists that was different, she wondered. She focused back on Shepard as he was finishing his conversation with the woman.

Shepard nodded. “Hang tight. We’ll come back as soon as we can.”

They turned to leave, but Juliana stepped forward again.

“Wait!” She said. “Commander, before you go. I have a daughter, Lizbeth. She’s missing.”

“They shouldn’t waste time poking around. We can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the Geth are gone.” Jeong said.

“That’s my daughter you’re talking about!” She stepped toward Jeong with fire in her eyes. 

“Easy,” Shepard said. “Where was your daughter?”

“She was in the Exogeni building when the attacks came.”

“Oh yeah there were several places she could hide...for a short time.” Jeong’s smug tone caused Juliana to step forward again. Shepard stepped between them.

“Enough,” He said to Jeong. He looked at Juliana. “If she’s in there, I’ll get her out.” Juliana’s shoulders slumped and she exhaled with relief.

“Thank you, Commander. Thank you.”

Shepard nodded and turned to his squad. "Let’s go," he said. They turned and headed back up the ramp. 

“What an asshole,” Ashley said. 

“I’d like to snap that guy in half,” Wrex added. Ashley chuckled. Maybe she would learn to like Wrex after all. 

“Yeah well at least we weren’t getting the kind of looks we did back at Zhu’s Hope,” Kaidan said.

“Copy that,” Ashley agreed.

Back at the Mako, Kaidan climbed into the driver side with the door open when Shepard approached. “How are we looking?”

“Pretty good. Have to run a few diagnostics, but I’d say… twenty minutes tops.”

“We need to clear that rubble anyway.” Shepard said. He looked at Wrex. “Wrex, keep an eye out.”

“Yeah.” Wrex headed off in the other direction to begin his patrol of the perimeter. 

Shepard walked over to Ashley. “Williams how are you with explosives?”

“You flirting with me, Shepard?” She joked.

“Only if explosives do it for you.” His dry tone hadn’t changed, but he met her eyes for a split second with a barely there smile before turning to walk away. “Come on. Let’s get that wall out of the way.”

“Yes sir.” She followed and put her helmet back on to hide her small smirk. 

* * *

The remainder of the skyway between the colonist group and Exogeni headquarters was less populated with Geth and shorter than the first stretch, but Shepard wasn’t about to let up on the accelerator while they were so exposed. The shields weren’t as strong the second time around, and Shepard hoped they’d hold long enough for them to enter the approaching tunnel. When they were more secure in the confines of the large underpass, Shepard realized they could go no further. The skyway ended there.

“End of the line,” Wrex said, echoing Shepard’s thought.

“This must be Exogeni.” Williams added. 

They deployed from the Mako and secured the immediate area quickly. It was eerily quiet, and the only sound was their boots crunching and shuffling over debris.

“You could hear a pin drop in here,” Williams said quietly. 

“Better than the alternative,” Kaidan said. 

“Good point,” she responded. 

They approached what Shepard assumed was the main entrance to the structure, but a bright blue kinetic barrier of some kind was blocking it. Shepard lowered his weapon.

“Hm,” he said. He heard Kaidan’s omni tool hum.

“Kinetic barrier. Looks pretty strong.” he said.

“Think we can get through?” Williams asked. She moved in to get a closer look. Shepard could see the interior of the building behind it, but the barrier undulated like water and everything was distorted. It looked similar if not identical to the barriers generally used by both human and non-human military forces which made Shepard curious about the Geth. Most of their technology seemed advanced and strange, but this was familiar. And the more familiar an enemy’s tech, the easier it would be to defend against it.

Kaidan shook his head. “Well we already used our explosives, and honestly I don’t trust this building not to crumble entirely.” His omni-tool hummed. “There’s a lot of power running to this thing. Maybe if we can find the source... “

“Spread out,” Shepard said. “We’ll have to find another way in.” They all wandered off in different directions with their weapons drawn. Shepard took a moment to check in with Garrus and Tali. The colonists’ water problem had been solved, and they were working on the power with no Geth in sight. Hopefully it would stay that way. 

“Shepard, over here.” Williams motioned for him to join her. He walked up and noticed that she was looking down into a dark hole under the foundation that seemed to lead to a substructure. “Can’t see really, but I dunno maybe we can get in under that barrier this way.”

“I’ll barely fit through that,” Wrex grumbled. 

Williams got down on her stomach with her omni-tool light and poked her head down into the hole. “Don’t let me fall to my death please.” Shepard and Kaidan knelt on either side of her and gripped her armor to keep her from falling. She slid in just a little further trying to see what she was shining a light on. “I can see ground.” She grunted and her legs kicked just a little, which Shepard thought was kind of funny. “Hey could you pull me up?”

Kaidan and Shepard yanked her back up from the hole and she knelt next to both of them and exhaled. “Thanks. It’s a few meters, but I think we can do it.”

“What are we waiting for then?” Wrex said. He walked by them and Shepard was surprised to see him just jump feet first into the hole. He disappeared, and then Shepard heard him grunt as he hit the ground. 

“Wrex!” He called. His voice echoed in the hole. 

“That’s more than a few meters, woman!” Shepard heard Wrex grumble. 

“Toughen up,” Williams responded. 

They lowered Williams in first as much as they could before having to let go and let her fall, and then Shepard helped Kaidan down before dropping in himself. He landed with a grunt, stumbled just a little, and steadied himself just in front of Williams.

“That’s more than a few meters, woman,” he said. 

“Toughen up,” she responded with a shrug. 

“Okay let’s focus,” Shepard said. They drew weapons and headed down a darkened, wet corridor toward the light at the end. A giant hole in the wall opened into a cavernous space that connected to another blocked roadway. 

He heard a gunshot and was hit with the sting of a round on the shields on his shoulder. It hurt, but he managed to swing his weapon around in the direction of the assailant. The others did too.

A pistol clattered to the ground, and a woman stood there, eyes wide with her hands up in the air. 

“Oh my god I’m so sorry!” she said. “Please don’t shoot!” Shepard motioned for everyone to lower their weapons and he stepped forward. “I thought you were Geth or one of those varren.”

“Shepard?” Williams said. 

“I’m fine.” He looked at the woman. “Who are you?” he asked. He rolled his shoulder to stretch it. It would be tingling from the impact for a while.

“My name is Lizbeth Bayham. I’m… a research assistant for Exogeni.”

“Lizbeth,” Shepard said. “Your mother was looking for you.”

“She’s alive? Oh thank god. I thought I was the only one left.” She clutched her chest with one hand and sat down on a rock, relieved. She was dirty, and looked like she had been hiding in rubble for days. She looked pale and thin. He grabbed the small emergency water ration that was attached to his armor and handed it to her. 

“Here.” She took it, opened it and took a few long gulps. 

“Thank you,” she said. “I ran out of water a day ago.”

“Your mother is with some others from the colony. She’s safe for now.” Lizbeth took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Are you alone here?”

“I am. It’s my fault. Everyone else was running and I stayed to backup data. Next thing I knew the Geth ship latched on and the power went out. I was trapped. I tried to get out but the way was blocked.”

“We’ll get you out of here, but we have to deal with the Geth.”

“It’s not the Geth. It’s that energy field. They don’t want anyone else getting access…” She stopped. 

“Access to what? Exogeni? Why? I need to know what the Geth are after here.”

She sighed. “There’s an indigenous life form here that Exogeni has been studying. They call it the Thorian. I think maybe that’s what they’re after.”

Shepard had figured they’d be after a relic or a beacon or technology of some kind. Not some biological creature. “I’m gonna need you to elaborate a little on this Thorian thing. I need to know why the Geth are interested in it.”

“I don’t really know much about it.” She finished off the water. “Oh. Sorry.” Shepard gestured that it was fine. “The Thorian is some kind of plant thing. Really old, like thousands of years old. Other than that I don’t know why it would be special to the Geth. Look, I’ll tell you what I can, but there are still Geth running around in here. We need to get past that barrier. I think the Geth ship is powering it. I’ve noticed the Geth laying power cables everywhere.”

“Okay,” Shepard nodded. “You stay put and out of sight. We’ll go see what we can do.”

“Okay. Oh, take my security card. It should get you through any locked doors.” 

“Thanks. Try not to shoot anyone until we get back.”

Lizbeth cringed. “Yeah again...sorry.”

As they walked off in the direction of a nearby door, Kaidan spoke.

“Did she say varren?”

“Did she say  _ plant _ ?” Wrex added.

“You heard her,” Shepard said. He used Lizbeth’s badge to open the door. It beeped and slid upward. “Forget about the plant...thing for now. We have Geth to take care of.”

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
